Fennel Gratin

Cooked by Jean Keeling on our Vegetarian Italian themed potluck evening, recipe taken from foodrepublic.com
Serves: 4-6 people
Suitable for Vegetarians 


Ingredients
2 fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds), fronds trimmed and reserved
About 2x  1/2 cups olive oil
1 x  1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese
Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Trim the base of the fennel and remove all dark and light green parts down to the white bulb. Slice each bulb in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges and remove the cores.
2. Lay the wedges on a rimmed baking sheet and add olive oil to a depth of 1/4 inch. Sprinkle each wedge with a pinch each of salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Top each with about 1 teaspoon of Parmesan.
3. Bake until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the oil until just warm. Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer the fennel to plates and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.