Fennel Gratin with Pecorino

La storia di questo piatto

This is Sardinia in winter distilled into a single pan — the wild fennel that grows along stone walls, the pecorino aged in the hands of shepherds who have counted the same hills for generations, bound together by the honest heat of a farmhouse oven. It carries the memory of an island that has always known how to transform austerity into nourishment, silence into flavor.

Ingredienti

• 800 g Fresh whole fennel bulbs
• 150 g Aged Pecorino Romano, grated
• 40 g Butter
• 300 ml Hot vegetable broth
• quanto basta to taste Sea salt
• quanto basta to taste Freshly ground black pepper
• 50 g Fine breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

Preparazione

1. Start by stripping the fennel of its damaged outer leaves and the tough, woody base—there's no point keeping that. Cut them into quarters from top to base, but don't sever the base itself; that's what holds all the wedges together as they cook. If a fennel bulb is particularly large, go ahead and cut it into six wedges instead so it cooks evenly throughout.
2. Take a large, roomy baking dish and arrange the fennel wedges in layers, laying them down gently as if you were tucking them in. Pour the broth over them while it's still hot—never cold, or you'll cool everything down and drag out the cooking time—season with salt and pepper, then scatter small flakes of butter across the surface where it will melt slowly and deliberately, wrapping each fennel wedge in fragrant, buttery richness.
3. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, sealing the edges so the steam stays trapped inside—that trapped steam is what renders the fennel tender without drying it out. Slide it into a 180°C oven and let the gentle heat do its patient work: after about half an hour, the fennel will yield easily to a fork without any resistance, and the broth will have reduced down to a thick, deeply flavorful glaze at the bottom of the dish.
4. Carefully peel back the foil—watch out for the scalding steam rising up—and scatter the fennel generously with grated pecorino cheese mixed together with breadcrumbs: toss them together in a bowl first so they distribute more evenly across the surface. Finish with a generous drizzle of good quality olive oil, which helps the crust brown beautifully and releases that appetizing aroma that makes everyone's mouth water.
5. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and return the dish to the oven uncovered: in these final minutes, the cheese melts and the breadcrumbs transform into a golden, crispy crust that you'll hear crackling the moment you touch it with your fork. Let it rest and cool for a moment before bringing it to the table: the flavors will relax and spread, and the fennel will taste even better at this slightly warmed temperature.