Pic of Fennel baked with Parmesan cheese

Fennel baked with Parmesan cheese

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Vegetarian mains

Fennel baked with Parmesan cheese

Side Serves 5 20 min
A favourite way with fennel – butter and Parmesan set off its delicate taste to perfection. The point to watch when the dish is in the oven is the browning of the cheese: don't let it go beyond a rich golden colour. This is fabulous with fish, or as a meal on its own – substitute Parmesan for another hard cheese to make it vegetarian.

Ingredients

  • 6 fennel heads, trimmed, quartered (or cut into eighths if large)
  • butter
  • 3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
  • salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15 min

  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

  • Step 2

    Cook the fennel in salted water until just tender. It is important to get this right: the fennel should not still be crisp, on the other hand it should not be floppy either. Then squeeze out excess water.

  • Step 3

    Drain well and arrange in a generously buttered gratin dish. Be generous too, with the pepper mill. Sprinkle on the cheese.

  • Step 4

    Put into the oven until the cheese is golden brown (5-10 minutes) and the fennel is bubbling vigorously in buttery juices.