Natalie Chassay’s Aromatic Fennel and Butter Bean Tray Bake is An Entertainer’s Dream
Easter is all about coming together with family and friends, but we don’t want to spend our entire weekend in the kitchen. Enter: a quick, effortless dish that doesn’t sacrifice on flavour.
Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favourite home cooks. For this instalment, chef and cooking teacher Natalie Chassay shares her aromatic Fennel and Butter Bean Tray Bake.
This is my first time back in Sydney over Easter in about 16 years, and I wanted to put on a lovely but super relaxed lunch for my family.
If you want your table to feel elevated but still relaxed, the key is contrast. Start with your linens – I've gone for a soft baby blue tablecloth here and paired it with a deep burgundy tone in the flowers, and that contrast instantly makes everything feel more considered without trying too hard.
Next, don't lay everything too perfectly. I like to overlap my linen napkins slightly and let them ruffle a bit – it adds height, texture, and that effortless, lived-in feeling. That makes a table feel inviting, rather than staged. When it comes to flowers, keep them low enough so guests can see each other, but build in a bit of heightened dimension.
I've used full hydrangeas for volume, then added a few longer stems that drape slightly over the arrangement, to give movement and make the whole thing feel more dynamic. I also love tying the food into the table where possible. Here, the radicchio salad mirrors the deep tones of the flowers, which just subtly pulls everything together.
And, finally, keep the food simple: a big, rustic fennel and butter bean bake with parmesan and rosemary, a sharp salad, and fresh bread. Nothing fussy – just generous, delicious food that suits the setting. That balance of contrast, texture, and simplicity is what makes a table feel so special without overthinking it.
Have a beautiful Easter!
Ingredients
- 3 fennel, halved and finely sliced
- 1 brown onion, finely sliced
- 3 x 400g cans butter beans, drained
- 80ml olive oil and extra to finish
- Zest 1 lemon and juice 1 lemon, plus extra to finish
- 4-6 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
- Salt and lots of black pepper
- 150ml milk
- 60ml white wine
- 1 cup panko
- ¾–1 cup grated parmesan
- Olive oil
Method
1. Assemble the bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced), and in a baking dish add sliced fennel, onions and beans.
2. Season the mix
Toss the baking dish ingredients with olive oil, the zest and juice of a lemon, rosemary, salt, pepper, and ½ cup of grated parmesan.
3. Add the wet ingredients
Pour in the milk and wine – the liquid should sit about a third up the height of the baking dish – we don’t want it to entirely cover the ingredients. Mix well.
4. Add toppings
Sprinkle the mix with panko breadcrumbs, more parmesan and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
5. Bake in the oven
Cover the mix with foil or a dish lid, and place in the oven. Bake for around 50-60 minutes until the mix is soft and reduced. Remove the foil, then return to the oven (increase the heat to 200°C) and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the toppings are golden and crisp.
6. Serve
Remove from the oven and garnish with more lemon juice and zest, parmesan, olive oil, fennel fronds and lots of black pepper. Plate up with a sharp salad and some great, crusty bread.
For more from Natalie, follow her at @nataliechassay.
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