Due to its mild anise-like flavor, licorice haters tend to swear off fennel at first bite. Yet, preparing fennel au gratin masks that particularity fennel by subduing it with a creamy béchamel sauce.
In addition to fennel au gratin, here are some other recipes starring the frondy bulb vegetable.
Classic Fennel Gratin recipe
For the fennel gratin: 2 lbs. fennel, 2¼ Tbsp. butter, and 2 oz. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. To make the béchamel: 1½ cup whole milk, 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. butter, salt, and nutmeg.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, remove the base of the fennel as well as the tops with the tufts, then remove the outer leaves and cut lengthwise. Wash under running water then boil for 10 minutes. When they soften, brown them in a pan with a knob of butter for around 5 minutes.
For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, adding the flour little by little, stirring regularly with a whisk. When the roux becomes golden, add the milk a little bit at a time while constantly whisking, then adjust the flavor with salt and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the fennel in a baking dish, then cover with the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and bake for around 30 minutes. It's ready when the surface is golden brown.
With Potatoes and Carrots
In addition to fennel, this recipe calls for 3 medium potatoes and 3 medium carrots, then a mix of powdered herbs. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Clean the fennel as indicated above, peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Next, clean the carrots and cut them into rounds. Arrange the first layer of fennel in the baking dish, then the potatoes, and finally the carrots, but don't mix. Sprinkle with salt, a mixture of herbs, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for around 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve hot.
With Prosciutto
In addition to fennel, you'll need 4 slices of prosciutto or ham cut into strips, 4 oz. fontina cheese cut into small pieces, 2 oz. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, 5 oz. fresh cream, and 1 Tbsp. butter. After peeling the fennel, brown it in a pan with butter, add 3 oz. cream, the fontina, and the prosciutto or ham. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F. Once cooked, transfer the ingredients to a baking dish, drizzle the remaining cream and sprinkle the Parmigiano on top. Bake for around 20 minutes and serve hot.
With Turmeric
This recipe results calls for turmeric, a rhizome from the same family as ginger that's native to India. In addition to fennel, you need 1 slice white bread, diced; 2 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano; 1 clove of garlic; turmeric; and salt. Clean the fennel and cut in half along the width. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Combine the Parmigiano, bread, and the clove of garlic in a mixer and blend. Cover the fennel rounds with the mixture and finish with a sprinkle of turmeric powder. Preheat the oven to 400° F and bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Sicilian Style
In addition to fennel, you need 4 oz. black olives, 1 Tbsp. salted capers, 8 cherry tomatoes, 2 oz. stale bread, oregano, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt. Clean the fennel then cut into thin slices. Run the capers under running water to remove the salt, and cut the tomatoes into four pieces. Pass the stale bread through the mixer to make breadcrubms, then season it with extra-virgin olive oil. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then arrange the fennel slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Add salt, then top with the olives, capers, tomatoes, and breadcrumbs, and complete with oregano. Salt again and bake for around 30 minutes. Serve hot.