An easy Saturday-night staple, built around a fennel that had been lurking in the bottom of the fridge. My lovely friend Tia brought me a proper Italian lemon, so its zest went into the pangrattato. Fennel pollen is a bit cheffy, so use ground fennel seeds if you don’t have it. As soon as the crumbs start to look toasted, tip them out of the pan or they’ll carry on cooking and burn. And always warm your bowls, please!
Ingredients
- 1 fennel bulb cut into wedges, fronds kept
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Pangrattato
- 25 g butter
- 1 clove garlic very finely chopped
- 1 shallot very finely chopped
- 2 handfuls panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lemon zested, then cut into wedges to serve
Pasta
- 150 g pasta
- 150 ml double cream
- 1/2 tsp fennel pollen or ground fennel seeds
Instructions
- Toss the fennel in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until soft.
- Melt the butter and cook the garlic and shallot very gently without colouring.
- Add the panko, turn up the heat and toast until golden. Tip into a bowl straight away and mix in the lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Cook the pasta, keeping some of the cooking water.
- Warm the cream with salt and pepper, add the roasted fennel and fennel pollen, then toss through the pasta, loosening with pasta water if it's too thick.
- Serve in warm bowls topped with plenty of pangrattato, fennel fronds and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Calories: 757kcalCarbohydrates: 84.7gProtein: 16.7gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 24.5gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 319mgPotassium: 855mgFiber: 7.7gSugar: 11.6gVitamin A: 2635IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 5mg
Data source: USDA FoodData Central.
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