Baked Fennel in White Sauce

by Daniel Rogov

For the Fennel:
4 large fennel bulbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. each pepper and dill seed
1/2 tsp. salt

For the Sauce:
3 Tbsp. butter
about 2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2cups milk
l small onion, studded with 3 whole cloves
1/2 small bay leaf
salt and pepper as necessary

Clean the fennel bulbs, removing the stems, stalks and ferns. Cook in 2 liters of boiling water with the salt, pepper, dill seed and butter until the fennel is tender.

While the fennel is cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low flame. Add and blend in the flour, cooking gently and stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes. Slowly add the milk while continuing to stir. Add the onion and bay leaf and continue to cook and stir the sauce (ideally with a whisk) until thick and smooth. Transfer the sauce to a medium oven for 20 minutes. Before using, strain the sauce and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the fennel and cut into 1" (2 1/2 cm) pieces. Place these in a casserole and spoon over the butter. Transfer to the oven until the fennel begins to brown, remove from the oven and spoon over the sauce. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

Daniel Rogov is the restaurant and wine critic for the daily newspaper Ha'aretz. He is also the senior writer for Wine and Gourmet Magazine and contributes culinary and wine articles to newspapers in Europe and the United States.