White Bean and Fennel Gratin

Ingredients

15 ounces white beans (you can use Great Northern, but I really like using Lima beans for

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion (¾ lb)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (6 large cloves)

1 bulb fennel, stalks and base removed, thinly sliced

1 (14-oz) can crushed whole tomatoes, puréed or finely chopped with juice

salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a baguette)

1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese

Preparation

Heat oil in medium skillet.

Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, until soft.

Add the garlic and fennel and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and simmer another few minutes.

Stir in tomato paste until mixed, and add tomato fennel mixture to beans.

Pour into large casserole dish.

Make bread crumb topping: Melt butter in skillet over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute.

Stir in bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until pale golden, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Crumble over bean mixture.

Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

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About

I developed this recipe when I was working at a French restaurant and we were serving a lot of regional dishes. It started off as a variation on Cassoulet, and then morphed into this when we hit Provence. I adore fennel; just cutting into it makes me happy.

From http://thedailygrindchopandfry.com/