Fork Tender Fennel:) … it is delicious even at this stage… try a piece when you are making this dish 
Italian cuisine is one of my favorites!! I find it super rustic, but in a romantic sort of way… Now, don’t get me wrong, I love French cuisine, that is not romantic in a sort of way, heck’s fire that is just super charged romantic!!! Since I have worked at Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink, I have grown to LOVE fennel:) It turns out that everyone I know loves fennel too… they just don’t know it until I serve it to them:) At Michael’s I put fennel in some of the salads, and with the wood fire whole fish. Oh, that fish was an awesome dish. First the fennel was roasted in the wood fire oven. Then lemons are cut in half and grilled on the grill until they have nice black grill marks on them. Then the fish ( which was FRESHLY caught.. like a few hours ago..) was stuffed with thin slices of lemon & sprays of parsley then it was squirted with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with smoked fleur de sol and freshly ground pepper, then place in the wood fire oven to roast. When the fish was done it was placed on a large platter, then sprinkled with a little more smoked fleur de sol and fresh pepper and then the culinary fairy dust.. the fennel pollen. Then the fish was squirted with a bit of extra virgin olive oil… plated with two grilled lemon halves, some roasted fennel and a bit of fresh arugula OHHH that was… is a tasty dish!!! Anyway.. back from memories from my internship… fennel.. Fennel is super versatile. You can use it raw in salads or roast or bake it for a really mellow flavor. Since fennel’s flavor profile has such a range, it is a must try for any foodie! I made this recipe when I was inspired by an Italian book that had reasons fennel why was so fantastic & based the fact that I love fennel & I love Parmesan cheese.. AND I found an official Italian name for this dish…
a little ps.. the photo at the top of my blog is of a fennel salad with apples, gray sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, edible flowers and mandolined fennel bulb:)
So here it is
Finocchio Gratinato aka Baked Fennel with Parmesan Cheese
(adapted from Italian)
- Fresh fennel bulbs (I had a huge one so I only used one.. but I would recommend about 2 or 3 normal sized fennel bulbs more of course if you are going to have company.)
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- REAL Parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Then wash your fennel. On a cutting board with a sharp knife cut the top off the bulb. Save the top for another use. It is really tasty just raw, or roasted or sliced with a mandoline… or juiced.
What a piece of whole fennel looks like.. side note.. this has a HUGE fennel bulb (the white part)
Then fill a medium sauce pan with water. Add enough kosher salt to the water to make it salty.
Then place your fennel bulbs in the water. (If you have a huge bulb like mine, cut it in half then place in the water.)
Turn the heat to high, once the water starts to boil, turn it down to a simmer.
Fennel simmering (since my fennel bulb was large I cut it in half)
Let the bulbs simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the bulbs every 8 minutes or so. (You want them fork tender.)
Meanwhile, prepare your baking dish. Squirt a little extra virgin olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the dish.
Also, grate your Parmesan Cheese with a grater. Normally, I would grate this with a microplane but I like the bigger pieces that are a result of the grater.
Grated Parmesan Cheese (hint to make it easier… I usually grate my cheese on a cutting board, then if I need to cut the rind it is not a problem… and I can just dump contents on top of the cutting board into the dish:)
Once fork tender, take the fennel bulbs out of the water. (This water would make an awesome addition to a vegetable soup or to mashed potatoes or turnips.) Place fennel bulbs on a cutting board.
Cut the fennel vertically, into 2,4,or 6 pieces. ( This depends on the size of your fennel, most fennel bulbs will be 2 or 4 pieces- you want pieces the size of an apple slice you would dip into caramel. )
Fennel after I cut it into pieces for the dish
Place the fennel bulb pieces in the prepared baking dish. Lie the pieces on their sides.
Fennel lying on its side, just waiting for the Parmesan Cheese and more extra virgin olive oil
Then sprinkle enough Parmesan Cheese to cover the fennel slices.
Then squirt with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Fennel with Parmesan Cheese right before the oven:)
Place the dish in the 400 degree oven.
Let it bake for about 20- 25 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.
Then serve:) This makes a lovely side for any Italian dinner ( or any cuisine) it is a light dish despite the Parmesan Cheese:)
Finocchio Gratinato finished & ready to eat!!
Here is a really cool website all about fennel called Fennel Friday- http://fennelfriday.com/health-benefits-of-fennel/
Fennel has many health benefits:) It is one of those nutritiously fantastic foods that is nutrient dense and caloric empty… ( unfortunately too many people eat the opposite way- caloric dense and nutrient empty 
..) Fennel is high in fiber, yet it does not cause gas or bloating, in fact it has anti- gas properties. Fennel is also high in Vitamin C, Manganese, Molybdenum, Potassium and Folate You can read more about fennel’s fantastic properties here at http://www.naturalhealth365.com/tag/fennel-health-benefits
Here is a chart about fennel from the World’s Healthiest Foods Website ( this website is an excellent place to find information about foods that are good for you.) … http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23
| Fennel 1.00 cup raw 87.00 grams 26.97 calories |
||||
| Nutrient | Amount | DV (%) |
Nutrient Density |
World’s Healthiest Foods Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vitamin C | 10.44 mg | 17.4 | 11.6 | excellent |
| fiber | 2.70 g | 10.8 | 7.2 | very good |
| potassium | 360.18 mg | 10.3 | 6.9 | very good |
| manganese | 0.17 mg | 8.5 | 5.7 | very good |
| folate | 23.49 mcg | 5.9 | 3.9 | very good |
| molybdenum | 4.35 mcg | 5.8 | 3.9 | very good |
| phosphorus | 43.50 mg | 4.3 | 2.9 | good |
| calcium | 42.63 mg | 4.3 | 2.8 | good |
| magnesium | 14.79 mg | 3.7 | 2.5 | good |
| iron | 0.64 mg | 3.6 | 2.4 | good |
| copper | 0.06 mg | 3.0 | 2.0 | good |
| vitamin B3 | 0.56 mg | 2.8 | 1.9 | good |
| World’s Healthiest Foods Rating |
Rule |
|---|---|
| excellent | DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10% |
| very good | DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5% |
| good | DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DV>=2.5% |
Have never had fennel. This looks like a great introduction!
Thank you, Tea & Scones (which by the way, your name makes me want to jump on a plane and go visit Yorkshire again:) Fennel is something that I always walked past until my internship.. not now! Fennel is a super versatile food.. raw, baked, roasted.. really a fantastic food find:) Enjoy the recipe and let me know how you start using fennel:)
I didn’t know how to cook fennel – actually, looked at some in the supermarket this morning and left it there as it seemed all too hard. If only I had known I was going to see your blog this afternoon! Tonight’s treat is scallops with a Thai lime dressing, served on a bed of wilted bok choy. I am already salivating – two hours to wait until it is time to make dinner!
Kiwi, if you have a little knock on your door at dinner time that would be meLOL I love scallops and the Thai lime dressing with the wilted bok choy.. ohhhh yum:) that sounds really awesome.. are you going to post the recipe? I would love the Thai lime dressing:) Thai cuisine is fantastic, but I have not made many Thai dishes:) Be sure to drop a note once you make the baked fennel:)
This looks awesome — fennel and paremesano reggiano are two of my most favorite foods!
Thank you, Liz:) I could not agree more:) Let me know what you think after it is in your belly:)
Anything aniseed in flavour isn’t normally my thing. Yet, fennel cooked properly, like your post, is sensational!
Thank you, Johnnysenough, funny you should say that:) My BF and I quote…”hates fennel”… but he loved this dish.. the boiling mellows out the fellow to the point of an extremely mild onion…really different from the raw fennel:)
I’m so glad you found my blog and left a couple of ctonemms otherwise I probably wouldn’t have found your blog. It seems that we have a lot in common when it comes to veggies and food. It’s going to be fun to watch your garden and see what’s cooking. Do let some of the fennel set seeds and try them while they are still green and tender yum!
Looks delicious.
Thank you, Gary:) Let me know what you think once you make it… even more delicious when it is on your plate:)
A great way to eat fennel
Thank you, Albertocook:) Since I have discovered fennel recently, it seems that there is no bad way to eat fennel… I would eat it in a tree, in a house, with a mouse, with green eggs & ham… which by the way a friend suggested adding bacon to this:)