Spaghetti with Pan Roasted Fennel
A while ago, I cooked a fragrant pan full of crisp and golden fennel potatoes for us. I used fennel seeds and the vegetable's thinly sliced bulb for this recipe, it was so good that I promised myself that I would use this combination for pasta one day. It took more than 3 months but it's finally on our plates and my feeling was right, it works equally well with both.
The crisp vegetable adds a fresh touch to this dish, its distinct flavor is softer than the seeds, it's almost citrusy. The seeds however add a warming depth, I roast them in a little olive oil to enhance their fragrant aroma and turn them into crunchy bites. You just have to be careful not to burn them, they taste bitter if they become too dark.
It was a quick one, all in all this meal only took 10 minutes to prepare. Once you throw the pasta into the boiling water you only need 3 minutes to cook the fennel before you mix everything with flaky sea salt and coarsely crushed pepper. It's the perfect busy weekday or lazy weekend dinner!
Spaghetti with Pan Roasted Fennel
For 2 people you need
spaghetti 100g / 3 1/2oz
fennel seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar, 1 1/2 tablespoons
olive oil
medium fennel bulb, cut in half and the stalk cut off, very thinly sliced, 1
flaky sea salt
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar
Cook the pasta in lots of salted water al dente.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large heavy pan and cook the fennel seeds on medium heat for about 1 minute (they shouldn’t get dark!). Pull the pan off the heat, take the seeds out with a spoon and set them aside. Put the pan back on the heat and add the sliced fennel, sauté on medium heat for about 2-3 minute, the slices should be between al dente and soft. Stir in the spaghetti, fennel seeds and a splash of olive oil and season with sea salt and crushed pepper to taste, serve immediately.
Linguine with Fennel, Capers and Lemon
My fennel carpaccio with salty capers and lemon is one of my favourite winter salads, I always have a couple bulbs in the fridge to prepare this 2-minute lunch or dinner for us. The vegetable is a tasty alternative to cabbages because, for whatever reason, it retains its strong aroma even when it's out of its (natural) season. It's always strong and present, be it baked in the oven as a gratin with Parmesan sprinkled on top, with butter beans in a hearty soup or as a crunchy addition to salads. I would definitely suffer much more from the absence of summery tomatoes, zucchini and bell pepper if there wasn't fennel in the house!
It's been a while since we had a plate of pasta on our table, which is quite unusual for us. Inspired by my carpaccio, I pulled the linguine package out of the pantry and mixed it with thin fennel slices sautéed for just 2 minutes, a handful of capers from Gozo, lemon zest and juice. It was a quick and light dish, tasty and simply good!
Linguine with Fennel, Capers and Lemon
For 2 people you need
linguine 200g / 7 ounces
medium fennel bulb, bottom cut off, very thinly sliced, 1
capers, rinsed and dried, a small handful, to taste
lemon zest to taste
freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoons, to taste
salt
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar, to taste
olive oil
Cook the pasta in salted water al dente, keep some of the water in a mug and set aside.
In a pan, heat a splash of olive oil and sauté the fennel for 1 minute on each side on medium-high heat. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir in a splash of the water used to cook the linguine and the lemon juice. Sprinkle with capers and season with salt, pepper and lemon zest and juice to taste.
