This seasonal summer vegetable is sweet and succulent, and fragrant with the wine its cooked in

Serves 6 butter 60g fennel bulbs 900g, outer stalks removed, trimmed, split in two, parboiled in salted water for 10 minutes, and drained salt onion 1 medium, chopped white wine 250ml

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Melt the butter in a large, heavy sauté pan, place the parboiled fennel halves in the pan, split sides down, salt lightly, and cook over low heat until the cut surfaces are an even golden brown. Turn them over, add the chopped onion, and cook until the rounded surfaces of the fennel are lightly coloured. Shuffle the contents of the pan around with a wooden spoon to make certain that no fragments of onion become too darkly coloured. Transfer the pan’s contents to a gratin dish, split fennel surfaces down. Over high heat, deglaze the sauté pan with the white wine, scraping sides and bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour the boiling wine over the fennel and onion and bake for 15 minutes, or until the wine is reduced to a near syrup.

From Lulu’s Provençal Table by Richard Olney (Grub Street, £16.99)