Monday, March 12, 2007

Fennels



Look at this beautiful bulb of fennel. I've never had it before, and I heard roasting it brings out the flavors even more. I tried a simple Giada recipe.



Fresh bulbs of fennel
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Clean and cut the fennel bulbs: cut them horizontally into 1/3 inch thick slices and reserve the fronds.
Take the reserved fennel fronds and chop enough of them to make 2 teaspoons; set aside.
Spray the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil.
Lay the fennel slices in the dish, making sure that all the pieces are touching the bottom so that they roast rather than steam when they're cooking.
Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan.
Drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees F, until the fennel is tender and the Parmesan is golden brown.
Transfer roasted fennel to serving platter, sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons chopped reserved fennel fronds, and serve.

~Ray

3 comments:

Hakka House said...

Fennels are great when you slice thinly, sauté them in olive oil and a little salt. It’s faster than roasting if you want a quick meal.

~ Mina

tigerfish said...

Hmmm....the first time I saw fennel was in Iron Chef America! America TV still taught me something...heeheee.

shingo said...

No, it's actually quite subtle when you roast them. It's more sweet than liquorice. (Personally, I hate the liquorice.)

~Ray