I had a dinner party just this past weekend, and I stole this recipe at the last minute from here, with just a few almost insignificant modifications. It was absolutely incredible, if I do say so myself.
You need:
- Some fennel/anise/finocchio (1-2 bulbs)
- Softened butter (like, left out at room temperature for 3-4 hours)
- salt
- pepper
- white wine
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- parchment paper
Chop up the fennel into two-finger-size pieces, and slice the garlic. Toss it all into a big bowl, and throw in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with hands until the butter and spices are evenly distributed.
Put the parchment paper onto a baking sheet, throw the fennel on top of it, and make a pouch for it out of the paper. Pour a full glass of white wine over the whole thing, and then wrap the fennel up in the paper. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour.
I made about 2 1/2 big bulbs of fennel, and I had to use two baking sheets to avoid crowding the pouch. So watch out for that.
If you’re looking for some new ideas for contorni, give this one a try!