Recipe: Fennel and Leeks au Gratin

I wanted to share this wonderful recipe with everyone. I got it from a book by Suzanne Somers called Get Skinny on Fabulous Food. It's a book on food combining, which is something I'm doing now to shed the pounds graduate school stress has brought on. This is a great side dish and a wonderful entree. It serves 4.

Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 medium fennel bulbs
  • 4 medium leeks
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8 ounces Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and rub a 9 by 9 inch casserole dish with the olive oil. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Cut the green stems off the fennel. Trim the bottom of the bulb and discard damaged outer leaves. Slice the fennel bulb lengthwise into quarters and rinse. You can use the green stems from the fennel to make other dishes. I like using the fennel leaves to cook artichokes with.

Cut the green tops off the leeks and trim off the bottom. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and cut into pieces about 4 inches long. Make sure to rinse thoroughly to get out any sand or dirt trapped between layers.

Once the water in your pot is boiling, add salt and add the vegetables. Let them cook for 15 minutes.

Drain the contents of your pot into a colander and put the pot back on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the butter and the vegetables back into the pot and stir until the fennel and leeks become a little brown. While that's happening, you can beat your eggs in a bowl until they become fluffy. Add 6 ounces of the grated Parmesan cheese to the eggs and stir to combine. Once the vegetables are done browning, season with salt and pepper and transfer to the casserole dish.

Now you can pour your egg and cheese mixture over the vegetables and top with the rest of the cheese and a little extra nutmeg. Bake for 20 minutes.

Some notes: I don't grate nutmeg myself, I just buy it along with the other spices I keep in my pantry. You can use less butter if you feel uncomfortable cooking with so much or you can just substitute with olive oil (but be aware the flavor will change). If you use olive oil, remove the leeks and fennel from the pot before they brown.

Comments

Beatrice V said…
Sounds delicious K. I am definitely going to give it a try.. Your blog is looking good.
Kareen said…
Thanks wordcrafter! Glad you are enjoying it.
Shannah said…
Do you leave any of the leek green in there, or use only the white part? Also, do you separate the layers while boiling, or leave then intact on both the fennel and the leeks?
Kareen said…
Hi Shannah, you can use all parts of the leek. No need to separate the layers yourself, though some separation will occur naturally when cooking!

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