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Fun with fennel

Posted by saedigh at 08:28 AM on December 16, 2009

I was asked to bring a vegetable side dish to a dinner last night. I knew the hostess was serving a chicken dish, rice, and a salad, but I was quite sure what would go best with everything. I thought about playing it safe with green beans or something along those lines, and then I thought "screw safe". I am going to give something a little different a try.

For those of you unfamiliar with fennel (the vegetable, not the seeds in jars in the spice aisle), it has a VERY mild licorice flavour, and looks kind of like dill sprouting out of the tops of celery that are sprouting out of the top of an onion. It is a great accompaniment to Italian sausages, fish...and chicken, which is why I chose it.

Fennel au Gratin

2 fennels bulbs, trimmed of their stalks (the "dill" can be reserved for seasoning)
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 large shallots, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Béchamel sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup goat cheese (chèvre) or similar soft, mild cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Remove any tough outer parts of the fennel skin, and cut bulbs in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 5 or 6 wedges.

3. Place fennel in a medium saucepan, and cover with chicken stock. Season with fennel dill, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring stock to a low boil, and braise fennel until tender, about 12 minutes.

4. Drain fennel and set aside.

5. Lightly brush a shallow baking dish with olive oil. Scatter shallots in bottom of dish, and arrange braised fennel in a single layer over shallots. Cover with tinfoil, and bake for 10 minutes.

6. Prepare béchamel sauce: melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat, and slowly whisk in milk, making sure no lumps form. Place milk mixture back over medium heat, season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste, and stir until mixture reaches a boil and begins to thicken. Remove from heat, and mix in goat cheese until melted.

7. Remove fennel from the oven, and pour the béchamel over it in an even layer.

8. Broil dish under high heat for 5 minutes, or until béchamel becomes bubbly and light golden on top.


Comments

I like fennel too. I put it in my bread stuffing when I can find it at the local grocery store. The recipe sound delicious.
I will try to get some for when you come to visit after Christmas.

Posted by: Dee at December 16, 2009 02:01 PM