Name: Cafe di Stasio’s fennel cooked in milk
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 60 ml olive oil (¼ cup); 4 fennel bulbs (about 350gm each), cut into 5mm slices; 600 ml pouring cream; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 sage sprigs; 50 gm parmesan, finely grated; 60 gm fresh sourdough breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 tsp lemon juice

Cafe di Stasio’s fennel cooked in milk

A combination that just works.

Serves 4

Prep

20M

Cook

Total

1H 20M

Fennel baked in milk, and topped with toasted breadcrumbs. It’s a combination that just works, and we have Melbourne’s Café di Stasio to thank.

Ingredients

60 ml olive oil (¼ cup)

4 fennel bulbs (about 350gm each), cut into 5mm slices

600 ml pouring cream

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 sage sprigs

50 gm parmesan, finely grated

60 gm fresh sourdough breadcrumbs

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Main

1.Heat 20ml oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add fennel in batches, season to taste, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden (6-8 minutes).

2.Preheat oven to 180C. Bring cream, garlic and sage to the simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel, return to the simmer, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a 2.5-litre baking dish. Pour over enough cream to fill three-quarters of the dish. Scatter with two-thirds of the parmesan and bake until tender (30-35 minutes).

3.Preheat grill to high heat. Combine remaining oil and parmesan with breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon juice in a small bowl. Scatter breadcrumbs over fennel and grill until golden (6-7 minutes). Stand for 5 minutes and serve hot.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

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Styling by Alice Storey

Styling by Lucy Weight