Breadcrumbed fennel cutlet

Deep fried or baked, this is a delicious way of enjoying fennel!

Cooking time: 15 mins

Prep time: 20 mins

Ingredients for 4 people

What do you need?

• 2 fennel bulbs

• 200 gr of breadcrumbs

• 200 gr of flour

• 2 eggs

• 50 gr of grated parmesan cheese

• chopped fresh parsley

• half a clove of minced garlic

• frying oil

How to proceed?

1. Place flour in a shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper.

2. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow bowl.

3. Toss together breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley and garlic in a third shallow bowl.

4. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.

5. Clean the fennel, remove the outer part and cut into 1/2cm thick slices.

6. Pour the fennel slices into the boiled water for about 5 minutes.

7. Drain and dry well over a kitchen towel.

8. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

9. Transfer to bowl with egg mixture and turn to coat. Lift from bowl, allowing excess to drip off.

10. Coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing well on both sides to adhere.

11. Heat enough oil (180 °C) in a large frying pan to shallow fry.

12. Working in batches, fry fennel cutlets, until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.

13. Drain, dry, add salt and serve hot.

Notes:

• If you prefer a lighter version of this recipe, you can bake the cutlets in the oven: dredge slices of raw fennel in flour, shaking off excess. Season them with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and bake in the oven (preheated at 190°C) for about 30 minutes.

• Bread crumbed fennel cutlet are excellent accompanied by a homemade mayonnaise (check our recipe for a delicious homemade version).