Name: Cafe di Stasio’s fennel cooked in milk
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 60 ml olive oil (¼ cup); 4 fennel bulbs (about 350gm each), cut into 5mm slices; 600 ml pouring cream; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 sage sprigs; 50 gm parmesan, finely grated; 60 gm fresh sourdough breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 tsp lemon juice

Cafe di Stasio’s fennel cooked in milk

A combination that just works.

Serves 4

Prep

20M

Cook

Total

1H 20M

Skip to Recipe

Fennel baked in milk, and topped with toasted breadcrumbs. It’s a combination that just works, and we have Melbourne’s Café di Stasio to thank.

Ingredients

60 ml olive oil (¼ cup)

4 fennel bulbs (about 350gm each), cut into 5mm slices

600 ml pouring cream

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 sage sprigs

50 gm parmesan, finely grated

60 gm fresh sourdough breadcrumbs

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Main

1.Heat 20ml oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add fennel in batches, season to taste, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden (6-8 minutes).

2.Preheat oven to 180C. Bring cream, garlic and sage to the simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel, return to the simmer, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a 2.5-litre baking dish. Pour over enough cream to fill three-quarters of the dish. Scatter with two-thirds of the parmesan and bake until tender (30-35 minutes).

3.Preheat grill to high heat. Combine remaining oil and parmesan with breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon juice in a small bowl. Scatter breadcrumbs over fennel and grill until golden (6-7 minutes). Stand for 5 minutes and serve hot.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Styling by Alice Storey

Styling by Lucy Weight

Ingredients

Method

Main

Related stories