Fennel Gratin with Miso Cream and Parmigiana

By Cheryl Forberg
 
Last December, my husband and I decided to spend our third holiday season in Italy. I cannot speak highly enough about the way Italians celebrate the holidays. The decorations, the lights, the food…

We had planned to spend the entire trip in Northern Italy, as that was an area we had not visited previously. We spent a week in the Lombardy region and another week in Veneto. But as Christmas approached, we could not resist returning to the Tuscany region, and the charming medieval hilltop town of Montepulciano in particular.    

We had visited during the December holidays two years prior and could not resist the urge to return for the Montepulciano Christmas Fair.

This trip however, we discovered an amazing restaurant in the heart of the old town, Osteria Acquacheta, that we had not tried before. We soon learned why – it was almost impossible to secure a reservation.

They specialize in Bistecca Fiorentina (an Italian steak dish made local beef, which is one of the most famous dishes in Tuscan cuisine. It is loin steak on the bone cooked on a grill until rare.  (you must eat it rare – that is the only way they will prepare it). 

Somehow, we happened to call just after a cancellation came in and were able to arrive in time for a late lunch. 

I was extremely impressed that this small but remarkably busy restaurant had an extensive list of side dishes.  It is typical to find potatoes (roast or French fried), sauteed spinach, or grilled vegetables on a typical Italian side dish menu.  But Osteria Acquachetta had seven or eight side dishes that all sounded delicious.  Even though our steak was absolutely huge (nearly a kilo!) I had to order the fennel gratin as I had not seen this on a menu in Italy before.  The portion was huge; it was absolutely delicious and only 7 euros.  I could not stop thinking about this dish when I returned home and had to figure out how to replicate it.  Thus, today’s recipe…. I went off course a bit by adding miso paste, but it really is delicious, and I hope you will enjoy it as we did.

Fennel Gratin with Miso Cream and Parmigiana
This simple dish is a great accompaniment to roast chicken, lamb, or any vegetarian meal. The miso paste and Parmigiana cheese create an umami bomb of flavor, but also decrease the need for added salt.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Melissa’s fennel bulb or 2 small, thinly sliced* (there should be 8 cups) **
1 medium Melissa’s onion, peeled, ends trimmed, halved vertically, and thinly sliced vertically (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh Melissa’s thyme leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Melissa’s white miso paste
Salt
Pepper
*Reserve a few fennel tops for garnish 

Topping
½ cup panko crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmigiana
2 teaspoons Olive oil

Instructions

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, season with ½ teaspoon salt, stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring several times. You do not want to brown the fennel.

Add the onions, stir, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes longer. Again, you do not want to brown the vegetables.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, miso paste, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and thyme.

When the onions and fennel are tender, stir in the cream mixture. Cook uncovered for a few minutes until the cream has reduced by about ⅓, then remove from the heat.  There will be about 4 cups of cooked vegetables.

Transfer the vegetables to a 1 ½ quart baking or gratin dish. At this point, the gratin could be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a day. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the gratin.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
**A mandolin slicer ensures slices are uniform in size and thus cook evenly.