Baked Fennel with Garlic Butter and Vermouth

 

3 large heads fennel

1 clove garlic, finely sliced

3 large knobs (T.) of butter

2 wine glasses (10 ounces) vermouth (white wine also works)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove any discolored parts of the fennel, then cut the tops off and slice finely, reserving the leaves. I normally slice each fennel from the top to the root, into about 4 pieces, but it’s not that important. You can slice them finer and more delicately if you like. Literally throw all the ingredients except the reserved leaves into a baking dish. Rip off a piece of parchment paper, run it under cold water and scrunch it up to make it soft. Then place it snugly over and around the fennel, not the actual dish. This bakes and steams the fennel at the same time-basically making it really tasty! Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until tender. Scatter with the fennel leaves before serving.