Wash the fennel well under running water, cut into small pieces and boil in salted water. Meanwhile cut the bread into one and 0.2 inch thick slices and fry these in butter and oil.

As soon as the fennel is cooked, put it in layers in an oven-dish (better if Pyrex): add first of all the “crostini” each covered with a slice of cheese and then the fennel, with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.

After arranging everything, pour in a couple of ladlefuls of cooking liquid and finish off with some curls of butter. Bake in a hot oven (400°F) and wait until the cheese has melted and formed a light golden crust. Bring to the table hot in the same oven-dish.