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1
Remove the fronds from the bulbs of fennel, chop them coarsely, and set them aside.
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2
Trim the stem ends of the fennel and slice the bulbs in two if they are small, or in thirds, if they are somewhat larger.
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3
Place the fennel, the fronds, and the salt in a large pot, barely covering all with cold water.
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4
Cover the pot and, over a medium flame, bring to a gentle simmer, poaching the fennel for 5 to 7 minutes or until it only begins to soften.
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5
Drain the fennel, discarding the fronds, and lay them on a work space.
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6
Over a lively flame, saute the pancetta in the olive oil, crisping it a bit before removing it to absorbent paper towels.
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7
Reserve the pan drippings.
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8
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
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9
Wrap each piece of poached fennel with a slice of pancetta, securing it with a toothpick, and lay the wrapped fennel in a single layer in a large, shallow terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron gratin dish.
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10
Strew the fennel with the olives.
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11
In a bowl, blend the cream and the wine with the anise and fennel seeds, adding generous grindings of pepper.
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12
Pour the liquids evenly over the fennel.
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13
Dust the whole with the pecorino and the bread crumbs and drizzle the dish with the reserved pan drippings.
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14
Roast the fennel for 40 minutes or until it has drunk in nearly all the liquids, a good burnished crust has formed from the cheese and the bread crumbs, and bits of lightly charred pancetta are poking through it all.
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15
The perfume of this dish is a raging heartbreaker.
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16
Present it very warm with very cold white wine as an antipasto or as a first course.
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17
In any case, it deserves ones attention, to be eaten on its own.
