Fennel au gratin

Pardon my possibly dodgy French, but 'fennel au gratin' sounds a little more elegant than 'fennel with a cheesy crust'! Fennel is an odd-looking vegetable with a crisp white bulb and feathery green leaves. It has a slightly aniseed-y taste, and is in season right now (autumn) here in Canberra.

Fresh fennel looks like this ...

... and my cooked version looks like this

To make this delicious side dish, you'll need fresh fennel, parmesan cheese, and pepper and salt to taste. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Wash the fennel and discard outer layers if they're dry or discoloured. Chop the bulb and leaves into bite-sized chunks, and zap in a covered dish in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften. Then lay the fennel flat in the bottom of an oven dish, sprinkle with grated parmesan and salt and pepper, and bake for about half an hour. Enjoy!