Baked fennel vegetables with black olives

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg fennel, fresh
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 125 ml white wine, dry
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 300 g tomatoes
• 40 g shallot(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30 g butter for the mold
• 80 g olives, pitted black
• 40 g breadcrumbs
• 60 g cheese (aged Pecorino or Parmigiano), grated
• 2 tbsp fennel, chopped greens

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Wash the fennel bulbs, pat dry with kitchen paper, and trim off the root end and green stems. Quarter the bulbs lengthwise and cook for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, drain well, and let them drain. Grease a gratin dish with butter. Place the herbs and bay leaf in the dish, arrange the fennel pieces on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour over the white wine. Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, briefly blanch the tomatoes, peel them, remove the seeds and stems, and dice the flesh. Peel the shallots and garlic cloves, chop the shallots, leaving the garlic whole. Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the shallots and garlic cloves, add the diced tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Spread this mixture and the olives evenly over the fennel. Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese and fennel leaves and sprinkle over the dish. Bake in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes. Add a little more wine if desired.