Name: Fennel à la Cyrano
Prep time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 tbsps all-purpose flour; 2 tbsps butter; 1 1/4 cups milk; 1 pinch fine salt; 1 pinch black pepper; 1 pinch nutmeg; 0.5 oz dried mushrooms; to taste chopped parsley; to taste olive oil; 1 lb 5 oz lbs fennel (freshly cleaned, two or three bulbs); 9 oz mozzarella; to taste grated Parmesan cheese; to taste breadcrumbs; to taste olive oil; to taste butter

Fennel à la Cyrano, a hearty side dish dedicated to the famous Cyrano de Bergerac by poet and pastry chef Ragueneau, a dish with peculiar ingredients that pair well together. A must-try!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 4 servings
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients

3 tbsps all-purpose flour
2 tbsps butter
1 1/4 cups milk
1 pinch fine salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
0.5 oz dried mushrooms
to taste chopped parsley
to taste olive oil
1 lb 5 oz lbs fennel (freshly cleaned, two or three bulbs)
9 oz mozzarella
to taste grated Parmesan cheese
to taste breadcrumbs
to taste olive oil
to taste butter

Steps

Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl with some water.
In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce following the procedure found at this link (follow the quantities in this recipe). Here are the main steps: prepare the roux with butter and flour, add the warm milk, season with salt, pepper, and freshly ground nutmeg, and mix well with a whisk. You should obtain a smooth and fluid mixture.
Once soaked, squeeze the mushrooms and chop them finely. Sauté them in a pan with a bit of oil and parsley.
Add the mushrooms to the béchamel sauce and mix well.
Wash and clean the fennel, cut them in half and cook them in a pot with plenty of salted water. Let them cook for about 20-25 minutes, they should be soft but still crunchy. Drain them in a colander.
Slice the fennel not too thickly.
Grease a square baking dish with a 7.9-inch side with oil, sprinkle it with breadcrumbs. Make a first layer with half of the fennel slices obtained.
Now cover everything with half of the mushroom béchamel sauce.
Drain and slice the mozzarella, use half to make a layer over the béchamel.
Make another layer with the remaining fennel slices, then one with the remaining mozzarella, and finally cover everything with the remaining béchamel. Sprinkle the surface with grated Parmesan cheese. You can also add some butter flakes.
Bake at 356°F for about 20 minutes.