Grated fennel with béchamel sauce: the recipe for an original and hearty side dish

I grated fennel I am a outline original and hearty enriched by the addition of softness Bechamela recipe made for us by Chef Michele Ghediniideal to accompany main courses of meat or fish, also to be served as a second vegetarian course.

We then repurposed the fennel stems and beard to make a delicious Pestoto taste on crispy bread: excellent to serve before dinner to tease your guests. Here’s how to prepare them.

How to prepare fennel gratin with bechamel sauce

Start with the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, add the milk and bring to a boil. Season it with grated cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Clean the fennel and remove the beard and stems, but don’t throw them away, they can be reused.

Cut the hearts into thin wedges and cook them in boiling water for about 15 minutes, cook the scraps separately with the same procedure.

When they are tender drain them and compose the accompaniment, in a pyrophile put a layer of bechamel, fennel and more bechamel, sprinkle with grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes: the last 5 minutes you can activate the grill for a nice browning.

Meanwhile, while the gratin cooks, continue to make a nice pesto for the croutons using the scraps we saved and cooked before.

In a food processor put the cooked fennel pieces, grated cheese, cashew nuts, oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of paprika.

Mix everything for a few minutes, and you will get a delicious pesto for your aperitifs or aperitifs.

When the grated fennel is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

storage

You can keep the fennel gratin with béchamel sauce in the fridge for 2 days inside an airtight container. Reheat them in the oven before enjoying them.