French Cooking: Fennel Gratin
I don’t believe I ever ate fennel as a cooked vegetable in the States.
It wasn’t until I came to France and my belle-mère (mother-in-law)
prepared a fennel gratin that I realized it’s delicious flavor. This
bulbous vegetable has a mild licorice aroma and taste.
ancient Greece, the word for fennel was marathon. The name is said to
be based on the Greek victory over the Persians in 470 B.C. at
Marathon, which was fought on a field planted with fennel. The ancient
Romans chewed fennel stalks believing that it would control obesity.
(An early diet aid?) They also believed that snakes drank the juice
from the fennel to restore their eyesight when they were shedding their
skins. The Roman doctors of the time also recommended it for improving
human eyesight. In Medieval times fennel was hung around the house and
was suppose to bring good luck and keep out evil spirits. The Puritans
in America chewed fennel seeds during church services to stay awake and
to stop the rumbling in their stomachs. And during lent they munched on
the seeds to keep themselves from getting hungry.
Today
fenouil is widely used in southern French cooking. This
Mediterranean herb and vegetable is grown in the Provence-Côte d’azur
region. It can be boiled, baked, steamed, stir fried and even
microwaved (7-8 minutes or until tender). Trim the tops and bases and
remove the hard cores before using. If the outside leaves are tough,
they should be removed. Save the feathery tops for garnishes. Select
those with firm, crisp bulbs and fresh leaves. Store them in the
crisper section of your refrigerator and use within 5 days. Fennel is
low calorie and an excellent source of vitamins, especially A and C. It
also helps with gastro-intestinal problems (ulcers, heartburn, acid
stomach, etc.)
Fuss, I am offering two recipes for fennel gratin. The first is the
traditional way and the second is provençal style.
Fennel Gratin
4-6 persons
Cooking time : 1 hour
3 eggs
8 oz. heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper, to taste
the fennel in salted boiling water for 30 minutes or until tender.
Drain. In a bowl, mix the eggs, cream, garlic, half of the parmesan
cheese, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450. Butter a baking dish and
add the fennel. Pour the cream mixture over the fennel. Sprinkle with
the remaining parmesan cheese. Dot with the butter. Cook for 25-30
minutes just until the gratin is golden.
Gratin de fenouil provençal
Provençal fennel gratin
4 persons
Cooking time : 1 hour
1 lb. onion, diced
salt, to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. tomato sauce
1 tbsp. pastis (optional)
5 green olives
5 black olives
4 oz. mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp. basil, chopped
the fennel in salted boiling water for 30 minutes or until tender.
Sauté the onions for two minutes in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Then add the
tomato sauce and the pastis (if using). Cook over low heat for about 8
minutes. Pour the sauce into a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the drained fennel halves on top of the sauce (cut side up).
Sprinkle the olives on top. Place one thin slice of mozzarella on top
of each fennel half. Sprinkle a little of the remaining olive oil and
basil on each. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
April
Paute moved to France over 10 years ago with her husband Jean Michel
and 2 Siamese cats. Armed with only a dictionary and hand signals, she
took on the challenge of requesting the local boucher decapitate a
chicken for her. After living in Paris and Antibes, April & co.
have settled in Toulouse, where she draws inspiration
from her herb garden.
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