The most delicious and luxurious gratin, with caramelised fennel on a base of creamy cannellini beans. Still really fresh and light with lots of lemon juice to brighten it up.
**Fennel and White Bean Gratin**
**Serves:** 6
**Ingredients:**
* 2 large heads fennel
* 3 x 400g tins cannellini or other white beans, drained
* A good knob of butter
* A few sprigs thyme
* 1 tsp fennel seeds
* 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or chopped
* 1 large shallot, finely diced
* 1 lemon
* Parmesan
* Salt and pepper
* Olive oil
**Instructions:**
1. Preheat oven to 190c fan.
2. Cut off any fennel fronds/herb, wash, roughly chop and set aside for later. Cut each fennel bulb into 8-12 wedges.
3. Place a wide (around 30cm), oven-proof pan over a high heat with a little oil. Add the fennel and colour well on all sides. Add the thyme, salt and butter and reduce the heat to medium. Let the fennel gently caramelise then remove the fennel wedges from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the shallots, garlic and fennel seeds to the pan. Stir from time to time until the shallots are softened, then turn off the heat and stir in the beans and lemon. Stir in parmesan and season to taste.
5. Add the fennel onto the top of the bean mixture, cut side up. The fennel should be halfway submerged into the bean mixture. Cover with some more parmesan and place in the oven for 20-30 mins until nicely golden. Scatter over any fennel fronds.
**Substitutions:**
* White onion for shallot
* Pinch of chilli flakes with garlic
* Plant-based butter/parmesan or nutritional yeast for vegan option
* Chopped parsley if fennel bulb lacks herb.
**Fennel and White Bean Gratin**
**Serves:** 6
**Ingredients:**
* 2 large heads fennel
* 3 x 400g tins cannellini or other white beans, drained
* A good knob of butter
* A few sprigs thyme
* 1 tsp fennel seeds
* 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or chopped
* 1 large shallot, finely diced
* 1 lemon
* Parmesan
* Salt and pepper
* Olive oil
**Instructions:**
1. Preheat oven to 190c fan.
2. Cut off any fennel fronds/herb, wash, roughly chop and set aside for later. Cut each fennel bulb into 8-12 wedges.
3. Place a wide (around 30cm), oven-proof pan over a high heat with a little oil. Add the fennel and colour well on all sides. Add the thyme, salt and butter and reduce the heat to medium. Let the fennel gently caramelise then remove the fennel wedges from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the shallots, garlic and fennel seeds to the pan. Stir from time to time until the shallots are softened, then turn off the heat and stir in the beans and lemon. Stir in parmesan and season to taste.
5. Add the fennel onto the top of the bean mixture, cut side up. The fennel should be halfway submerged into the bean mixture. Cover with some more parmesan and place in the oven for 20-30 mins until nicely golden. Scatter over any fennel fronds.
**Substitutions:**
* White onion for shallot
* Pinch of chilli flakes with garlic
* Plant-based butter/parmesan or nutritional yeast for vegan option
* Chopped parsley if fennel bulb lacks herb.
