Fennel Soup Gratin Recipes

PARMESAN FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stalks from each fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise through the core. Remove most (but not all) of the core by cutting a V-shaped wedge, leaving the wedges intact. Cut each piece into 2, 3, or 4 wedges, depending on the size of the bulb. Arrange the wedges, cut side up, in a gratin dish just large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer. Pour the chicken stock and wine over the fennel, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper. Dot with the diced butter. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Remove from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the melted butter, panko, Parmesan, parsley, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle evenly on top and return to the oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the topping is browned. Serve hot or warm.
• Note: The ingredient quantities were proportionally increased for this episode.

FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the quartered fennel bulbs; cook and stir until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Pour in the broth, and simmer until fennel is tender, about 15 more minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, and season with salt and pepper.

FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and put a pan of salted water on to boil. Trim the fennel tops, then cut into wedges. Boil for 5-6 mins, then drain well. Arrange in an ovenproof dish, season and sprinkle with nutmeg. Stir the garlic into the cream and pour over the fennel. Top with the Parmesan, then bake for 20 mins until golden.

FENNEL AU GRATIN

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add fennel; cover and cook for 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and pat dry; place in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish., In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Gruyere cheese. Pour over fennel and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese., Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until golden brown and bubbly.

GRATIN OF FENNEL AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Cut the roots off the fennel. Discard the tough, stringy or discolored outer leaves. Chop the feathery leaves and set them aside to use as a garnish. Slice the bulbs lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces and place them in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 3 cups of stock and the garlic, lemon juice and salt (if desired). Bring the broth to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the fennel slices and set them aside.
• Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Put them in the broth and, if necessary, add more stock or water if the broth has cooked down too far. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the potatoes just lose their crunch. Do not allow them to soften beyond this point. Lift the potatoes out of the pot and set them aside.
• Cook the broth over medium-high heat until it is reduced by a little more than half, to approximately 1 1/4 cups. Force the broth through a medium sieve into a bowl, using a spatula to push through the garlic cloves.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish or gratin dish with several spoonfuls of the strained broth. Make a layer of fennel and potatoes, arranging the slices so that fennel alternates with potato; use up all the fennel. Spoon on a little more broth and sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan cheese and some freshly ground black pepper. Put the remaining potato slices on top - they should overlap slightly.
• Lightly press the potatoes with the palm of your hand so that the layer is even. Pour the remaining broth over the potatoes, grind pepper on top and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes.
• While the gratin is baking, saute the bread crumbs in the butter until they are golden-brown. Five minutes before the gratin is done, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top with about a tablespoon of the chopped fennel leaves. Let the dish cool slightly before serving.

FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Wash the fennel, strip away the outer layer of leaves if they're tough, slice the bulbs into thin wedges, and boil them for 10 minutes in salted water.
• Drain them well and sauté them in the butter, adding the milk a few tablespoons at a time, and once you have added it all simmer for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce and preheat oven to 400F.
• Butter an oven-proof dish, and when the fennel is done simmering transfer it to the dish.
• Dust the fennel with the grated cheese, pour the béchamel sauce over it, and bake the fennel for 20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned.
• Serve.

BRAISED FENNEL AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut each fennel bulb in half and trim the root end. Cut off any stalks that protrude above the bulb.
• Drop the fennel halves in the boiling water and let them simmer for 7 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water and drain again.
• Using 1/2 tablespoon of butter, grease the bottom and sides of an ovenproof porcelain or enamel dish just large enough to hold the fennel. Arrange the fennel halves in the dish. Spoon the glace de viande over them and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Dot with remaining butter.
• Cover the dish with foil and place in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until fennel can be pierced easily with a fork.
• Remove foil and sprinkle fennel halves with grated cheese. Raise heat to 500 degrees and return, uncovered, to a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese melts and the fennel halves start to turn brown. Serve immediately in the dish in which they were cooked.

CHEDDAR FENNEL POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• In a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish, combine the potatoes and fennel; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Layered a casserole dish with 1/2 potatoes slices and 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese and repeat.
• Pour over mixture; gently toss to coat potatoes. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.