Baked fennel with pizzaiola is a simple, easy, quick, delicious side dish, perfect to pair with meat and fish dishes. I first blanched these fennels and then baked them with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Fennel is truly versatile, perfect for eating in salads, but really delicious cooked too. They have multiple properties; in fact, they are digestive, diuretic, and rich in antioxidants. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals. Truly great for everyone! Maybe even get children who don’t really like vegetables to try them. If you want, you can also try other oven-baked side dishes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for preparing baked fennel with pizzaiola
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)
- 3.5 oz pizza mozzarella
- 8 cherry tomatoes (Piccadilly)
- 2 pinches salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Steps to prepare baked fennel with pizzaiola
To prepare baked fennel with pizzaiola, first clean the fennel thoroughly, wash them well, then trim the tough parts at the top and bottom. Then slice them not too thickly. Put a pot of water with coarse salt on the stove and let it come to a boil. Blanch the fennel for about 10 minutes not on high heat. After 10 minutes, drain the fennel and let them cool. Meanwhile, prepare the breadcrumb mixture. In a bowl, combine 4 heaping tablespoons of breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, two pinches of salt, a bit of black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well with a spoon. When they are cool, add the fennel and mix everything well in the bowl.
Preheat the static oven to 392°F. In the meantime, take a not too large baking dish, coat the bottom and sides with a little extra virgin olive oil. Pour in the fennel, add the washed and halved cherry tomatoes on top, and then add the mozzarella; I used the pre-grated type for pizza, but you can also use classic mozzarella. If using classic mozzarella, however, let it drain for at least 1 hour. Add a little more breadcrumbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some dried oregano, and bake.
Bake the fennel for about 20 minutes. The mozzarella should turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Storage and Tips
You can store the fennel in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
If you wish, you can use provolone or smoked scamorza instead of mozzarella.
If you wish, you can use provolone or smoked scamorza instead of mozzarella.
