Pasta with Fennel Cream
This pasta with fennel cream was inspired by recipe in La repubblica where they serve it with the twisted Sicilian pasta type known as casarecce. The word casarecce means homemade, and in my home it is easier to make fettuccine, which is why this has become my preferred shape – even for pasta with fennel cream.
There are dozen recipes for pasta with fennel cream from Italian food bloggers on the internet, and they are quite diverse. Some use a great variety of ingredients such as potatoes, carrots, celery and cream, and give the dish a local touch by adding anchovies, speck, lemon or orange peel.
This version is the most simple and basic recipe of them all. It costs less than 2 euro to prepare. If you use ready-made pasta, it can done in 15 minutes, while you turn on the washing machine, check up on the children’s homework and update your facebook profile. It does not get any easier, and still it tastes divine.
If you want a slightly different version with more ingredients, try the recipe for fennel pesto instead.
Ingredients
300 g homemade pasta
1 fennel bulp
1 white onion
2 tbsp white wine
30 g parmesan
Olive oil, salt and pepper
Preparation
Peel and dice the onion.
Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion over moderate heat
Clean the fennel and trim the edges.
Cut the fennel in smaller pieces and let them fry with the onion for a few minutes.
Add white wine when the vegetables start to turn golden.
Cover the saucepan with a lid, turn down the heat, and let the dish simmer for 10 minutes, just make sure it does not dry out.
Blend the fennel and onion with parmesan and salt and pepper to taste, and your pasta with fennel cream is ready to serve.
Yum! This was deceptively simple for such a flavorful dish. It’s definitely going to be a go-to pasta recipe.
It is here, that’s for sure. It’s amazing how much great food you can make in 15 minutes with just a few ingredients.
Mmm, love the idea of fennel cream…now just need to find some fennel! :) Recently tracked down some coriander so there could be hope for fennel.
Have a great Christmas and new year. :)
Julia and Barry
Thanks for the good wishes, and all the best to you in Turkey too. I’ve never thought about it before, but it’s true you don’t come across much fennel in Turkish cuisine. Wonder why?