TORTINO DI FINOCCHI (A flan of cooked fennel)

I recently made a Tortino di Finocchio, for lack of a better name – a fennel flan – and managed to find some reasonably fresh fennel from my favourite stall at Queen Victoria Market. The stall holder suggested that his fennel might be  from colder Tasmania.

But as I continued with my shopping, I couldn’t help but notice the sorry specimens at other stalls—stunted, small, and showing signs of going to seed. It always baffles me when customers purchase these well-out-of-season fennel varieties, which are far from ideal for eating raw in salads.

One such customer, standing beside me, picked up a couple of these dull, weedy fennel bulbs and I couldn’t resist commenting that fennel can also be cooked, and she seemed genuinely surprised! It’s a reminder that, while fennel has become a more recognised vegetable in Australia, its versatility is often unknown.

My grandmother, Maria from Catania in Sicily, was particularly fond of making this fennel tortino. This being an old Sicilian recipe, in her version, she used breadcrumbs to bind the dish. In more modern recipes you will find that béchamel or eggs bind the dish. In northern Italy, butter and Parmesan is used instead of the more typical olive oil and Pecorino from Sicily. 

A torta in Italian is a torte or a cake, but it can also be a savoury cake, flan or pie. It is usually made of vegetables and partially baked. It may include pastry.
The ino as the ending in tortino implies that it is smaller, but this is not always the case. I have seen similar dishes called a sformato or a pasticcio and in Sicilian a turticedda. All this can be very confusing for a non-Italian, as basically they are the same things.

This tortino is versatile enough to serve as a hot or cold dish—perfect as a side (contorno) or as a first course (antipasto). The fennel can be pre-cooked in advance, and the tortino itself can be prepared a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge.

The following recipe serves 6-8 people and can easily be adapted to your preferences. It’s simple, yet bursting with flavour.

Ingredients:

1kg fennel bulbs (about 3-4 large bulbs)
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
½ tbsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup grated Pecorino cheese
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (for sautéing and drizzling)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups coarse breadcrumbs (preferably made from 1-3 day-old, quality bread)
Optional: A splash of white wine or stock (instead of water) to add depth of flavour

Method:

Preheat the Oven:
Begin by heating your oven to 180°C (350°F). If you have a fan-forced oven, you may want to reduce the temperature slightly.

Make the Breadcrumbs:
If you haven’t done so already, prepare your breadcrumbs. A good trick is to use slightly stale bread—about 1-3 days old—for a better texture. If you have a food processor, it’ll be quick work.

Prepare the Fennel:
Slice the fennel bulbs lengthwise and thinly. Don’t forget to chop up the tender green fronds; they add a fresh, aromatic touch to the dish.

Sauté the Aromatics:
Heat a generous 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and sauté until it softens, then stir in the fennel slices. Cook until the fennel is just starting to soften and take on a little colour. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture starts to dry out, splash in a little water, white wine, or vegetable stock to help the fennel cook down. Cover and let the fennel soften for about 5-10 minutes.

Prepare the Baking Dish:
Select a baking dish large enough to fit all of the fennel layers (about 10cm deep). Grease it generously with olive oil, or, for a more traditional approach, lard. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs over the bottom of the dish, ensuring it’s evenly covered.

Layer the Ingredients:
In a bowl, mix the remaining breadcrumbs with the chopped parsley, grated Pecorino, oregano, and garlic. Begin by layering the fennel mixture in the prepared dish. Sprinkle some of the breadcrumb mixture between each layer of fennel, repeating until you’ve used up all the ingredients, making sure you end with the breadcrumb mixture on top.

Compress and Bake:
Gently press down on the layers with your hands to compact them. Drizzle the top with a little extra olive oil. To keep the layers intact while baking, cover the dish with a heavy lid or, as my grandmother would do, place a small, oven-safe terracotta plate on top to weigh it down.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. Check for doneness—if the fennel isn’t soft enough or if it looks too dry, add a little more liquid (wine or stock) and cover it again until fully cooked.

Final Touch:
Once the fennel is tender, remove the lid or plate, drizzle the top with more olive oil, and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until the top forms a golden, slightly crisp crust.

The finished tortino should have the texture of a moist, flavourful cake—easily sliced into generous wedges. Serve it hot, cold, or at room temperature for a comforting, authentic Sicilian treat.

(Good specimens of fennel. The photo was taken at the Saturday morning street market in Greve, Tuscany in December 2008.).

FENNEL CAPONATA (Sicilian sweet and sour method for vegetables).