Vegetarian mains
Fennel baked with Parmesan cheese
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
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
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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.
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Step 3
Drain well and arrange in a generously buttered gratin dish. Be generous too, with the pepper mill. Sprinkle on the cheese.
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Step 4
Put into the oven until the cheese is golden brown (5-10 minutes) and the fennel is bubbling vigorously in buttery juices.
