Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Fennel & Carrot Gratin

This is one just of those dishes that just makes the entire house smell sooooo good! Great to take to summer picnics and covered dish events! I'm serving this with grilled chicken breasts and brown basmati rice I've cooked and then mixed in one bunch of chopped cilantro, kosher salt and white pepper.

Fennel & Carrot Gratin



Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 medium uncooked fennel bulbs
1 lb uncooked carrots, peeled and ends trimmed
kosher salt
fresh thyme
2 C of Italian blend shredded cheese (or shredded parmeson and asiago)
Chicken Stock
Fresh orange juice
Zest and juice of one lemon




Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9 X 13 inch baking casserole dish with EEVO.

Slice fennel vertically into 1/3-inch-thick slices (don’t worry if some pieces break apart); place 1/2 of the 
fennel in a single layer in your baking dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil evenly across all fennel slices; 
sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, half of the cheese and 1/2 of the fresh thyme leaves. Set aside. 

       
Slice carrots on a diagonal into long 1/4-inch-thick slices; layer onto fennel and cheese.
       
Add the final layer of fennel in prepared casserole dish; drizzle with olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, sprinkle with 
thyme and then the remaining cheese. 
              
Cover dish with foil; roast for 30 minutes to soften fennel. Remove foil and roast until vegetables are browned and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove from oven, top with lemon zest and drizzle with orange and lemon juice.