Fennel Pepper Spaghetti Food

FENNEL SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the fennel seeds until they pop. Sizzle the garlic for 1 min, then add the lemon zest and half the fennel slices. Cook for 10-12 mins or until the fennel has softened.
• Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 1 min less than pack instructions. Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the frying pan along with a good splash of pasta water. Increase the heat to high and toss well. Stir through the remaining fennel slices, the parsley and lemon juice, season generously, then tip straight into two bowls to serve. Top with the fennel fronds, extra olive oil and parmesan shavings, if you like.

GOOD FENNELS PASTA

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. Salt water and add bucatini and cook to al dente.
• While water comes to boil and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage to the skillet and break up the sausage into small bits. Brown sausage all over then transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Return pan to heat and add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, the garlic, fennel, onions and peppers. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook, turning frequently, 7 to 8 minutes until tender but do not allow the fennel and onions to brown ¿ reduce heat a bit if they begin to. Add the wine or stock next and reduce 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the sausage. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is done.
• Drain the pasta very well and add to the sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with 1/2 cup cheese, a couple of handfuls, then toss pasta with thick sauce to combine. Transfer pasta to a large shallow platter and cover with the pasta with basil leaves. Serve with extra cheese and pass crusty bread at the table to mop up the plates.

PASTA WITH GARLIC, FENNEL AND ROASTED RED PEPPER

Steps:

• In a large skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until golden. Add the fennel, red pepper, dried red pepper and salt to taste and cook the vegetables, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth, cover and steam over moderately high heat for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add the drained pasta and fennel fronds and toss to heat. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with parmesan cheese.

LAMB & FENNEL SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat a little of the olive oil. Add the lamb mince, season and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain off and discard any excess fat.
• Add the remaining oil, the fennel, garlic, rosemary and some seasoning, then cook for about 8 mins until soft and golden. Pour in the tomatoes, break up with the spoon, then add the olives. Simmer for about 15 mins until thickened.
• While the sauce is cooking, cook the spaghetti following pack instructions. Serve with grated Parmesan and a green salad, if you like.

PASTA WITH SARDINES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• In a small skillet, toast bread crumbs in 2 tablespoons olive oil until golden. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Set aside.
• Simmer the fennel fronds in a large pot of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and spread out on a platter to cool. Do not discard cooking water. When fronds are cool, chop finely with a large knife (or pulse in a food processor with a little of the cooking water).
• Put raisins and currants in a bowl and cover with the white wine and 1/2 cup hot fennel-cooking water. Add crumbled saffron and let ingredients steep together for 10 minutes.
• In a large skillet, stew the onions and diced fennel in 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add anchovies, ground fennel and coriander seeds, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in reserved fennel fronds. Add the raisin mixture and its liquid and bring to a simmer.
• Season the fresh sardine fillets with salt and pepper and lay them on top of the onion mixture. Put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat for about 5 minutes, so sardines cook through and are just done. Stir to distribute chunks of fish throughout mixture. (If using canned sardines, skip this step and simply stir them in.)
• Boil the bucatini in the fennel cooking water (add more water to the pot if necessary). Cook until noodles are on the firm side of al dente, then drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add pasta to pan with onion-sardine mixture, sprinkle pasta lightly with salt and gently toss together, adding a little pasta water to keep everything well moistened. Taste and correct seasoning; it should be well seasoned.
• Transfer to a large platter or wide pasta bowl. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, pine nuts and parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges. Add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

FENNEL & SEAFOOD LINGUINE

Steps:

• Mix any brown crabmeat with the crème fraîche and cayenne pepper, and set aside. Pull away any tough outer leaves from the fennel bulb (you can keep these to use for stock). Trim the base, and remove the stem (again, reserve these for making stock, if you like). Finely chop the fronds and set aside. Slice the bulb in half along the core, then lay the pieces, cut-side down, on a chopping board. Cut each half into thick slices, then rotate by 90 degrees and chop.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat, add the fennel, shallot, chilli, garlic and a good pinch of sea salt and cook for 8-10 mins, or until the fennel and shallot are have softened. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more until they start to break down. Tip in the vermouth or white wine, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by about half, then remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a large pan of boiling salted water, following pack instructions, until just al dente. Reheat the fennel sauce over a medium heat and transfer the pasta directly from its water to the sauce using tongs. Add a good ladleful of the pasta cooking water to loosen the mix, then spoon in the white crabmeat. Stir everything together well to agitate the mixture and emulsify the sauce. Add the crab and crème fraîche mixture, and stir for a few minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Stir in the chopped herbs and taste for seasoning - the sauce should be thick, silky and not too runny, so continue to cook until it's the right thickness, if needed. Season with a little lemon juice, then divide between warmed bowls.

SPAGHETTI WITH LENTILS, TOMATO AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Rinse lentils. Put them in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Toss in Parmesan rind, if using. Add a good pinch of salt and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils and reserve cooking water.
• As lentils cook, put 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, add diced onion and fennel, and season with salt and pepper. Add fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until softened and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
• Add garlic, passata and 2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped fennel fronds. Stir to combine and add drained lentils. Turn heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until somewhat thickened. Taste and correct seasoning, then cook for 5 minutes more, so the flavors meld. Add lentil cooking water as necessary to keep everything saucy.
• As sauce cooks, set a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Divide among individual bowls and ladle sauce over each serving. Top with shavings of ricotta salata and more chopped fennel fronds. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.