Author Notes
This is a nice side if you have a little time. The fresh fennel really mellows out with the roasting, and the kalamatas and parmesan give the casserole a little oomph! —inpatskitchen
Test Kitchen Notes
Inpatskitchen has created a delicious and comforting gratin with this dish. The roasted fennel is soft yet not mushy, and becomes gently sweet. The parmesan and olives add needed layers of saltiness and umami. My cheese sauce was a bit clumpy, so my dish was not the belle of the ball, but that didn't stop me from polishing off two portions in one sitting! —hardlikearmour
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Ingredients
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2
large fresh fennel bulbs, cleaned and cut into 1- to 2-inch wedges
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1/3 cup
half and half
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4 ounces
mascarpone cheese
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1/2 teaspoon
ground fennel seed
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1/4 teaspoon
salt
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1/4 teaspoon
black pepper
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1 1/2 cups
grated parmesan, divided
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10
kalamata olives, halved
Directions
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In a medium sauce pan, boil the fennel wedges in water for about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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In a small saucepan, bring the half and half to a simmer, add the mascarpone, ground fennel, salt, and pepper and heat until the mascarpone melts. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the parmesan.
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Arrange the fresh fennel in a smallish baking dish (8x8 or 10x10) and pour the warm mixture over top.
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Dot with the olive halves and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of the parmesan on top. Cover and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes.
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Raise the oven temp to 400F, sprinkle with that last 1/2 cup of parmesan, and bake, uncovered, another 15 minutes or so until you get a little browning on top. Serve nice and warm!
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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