One of the extra pleasures you’ll enjoy on a Watermill creative course is the food. So, we have been serving up a series of blogs about some of the special dishes at the Watermill. Today: Fennel baked in white wine, cream and parmesan, with a pistacchio/breadcrumb crunchy topping.

Stand-by for appreciative noises. Lois serves the baked fennel.

Recipe from the Watermill cucina: Parmesan lollipops

We usually serve this tasty dish to our guests as part of a buffet Sunday lunch — and hear many appreciative noises! This recipe makes enough for eight people.

Ingredients

4 bulbs of fennel
250 ml cooking cream
250 ml white wine
Salt and pepper
100 g brown bread breadcrumbs
50g grated parmesan

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
2. Discard any discoloured outer leaves of the fennel, then cut in half longitudinally.
3. Cut out the hard heart, then cut each half in half again.
4. Arrange in a flat, oven-proof dish and pour over a well seasoned mix of the cream and wine.
5. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and place in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes.
6. Remove the lid/foil and scatter over the breadcrumbs and parmesan and return to the oven without the lid/foil for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Picture: Francesco Lastrucci

Creative courses at The Watermill

Come and join us for inspiring tuition, warm hospitality, delicious food and wine, stunning locations, exciting excursions and the convivial company of like-minded people. You can find more details of our ‘convivially creative’ courses by clicking here.

Remember to explore the other food blog posts and discover more Watermill recipes inspired by Italian classics and convivial meals, see the links below:

Gorgonzola soufflés

Succulent salmon with a spicy salsa

Tiramisù

Parmesan lollipops