Roasted Fennel with Parmesan

This a little something I made a couple of weeks ago. We'd gotten one fennel bulb in our CSA that week, and I wanted to do something super-fennelly with it, not just mix it into something else. Why? Well... I'm less experienced with fennel, so I wanted to get a feel for the flavor and texture on its own, so I'd have a better idea of what it was adding to recipes.

That said, this recipe calls for 4 fennel bulbs and I had just the one. No matter! I sliced the bulb thinly, into about 4 pieces. I'd made something else as the main (and I can't remember for the life of me what that was), so this was just for kicks.

I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, because if you know fennel, you know how sharp the flavor is. And with only parm and black pepper on it, it was indeed super-fennelly. Dave didn't care for them, so I got to have his slices, too.

If you love fennel, this makes a really interesting side (or snack, even). I don't know if I'll do this again, but it definitely served its educational purposes.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
From Giada’s Family Dinners, by Giada De Laurentiis
c/o Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30476,00.html?rsrc=search

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 2 teaspoons, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve.