Pasta with Fennel, Rocket and Lemon
/This is a recipe adapted from Adapted from River Cottage VEG. It is lovely the way it is written. Depending on what pasta you choose, you may just want to add a bit more liquid. Ingredients 1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil 2 large cloves garlic, minced 6 ounces pasta (papparadelle, linguine, spaghetti etc.) 1/4 cup creme fraiche, to taste zest of one large lemon, juice reserved 3-4 good handfuls of rocket 1/4 cup reserved pasta water sea salt and pepper parmesan or hard goats cheese, to finish
Method 1. Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil. 2. Cut the fennel in half lengthwise. Remove the tough core and slice it into 1/4'' wedges. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the fennel, give it a stir and let it cook, undisturbed (that's how you get the nice brown bits) for 5 minutes. Give it a stir, turn the heat down to medium, add the garlic, a pinch of salt and another splash of oil if the pan looks dry. Start cooking the pasta. 3. To the fennel, add the creme fraiche, lemon zest and stir to coat. Add the arugula and give it another toss. 4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the noodles to the creamy fennel pan and toss to coat, adding a pinch or two of salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon juice and pasta water as needed. 5. Serve each portion with a generous grate of the parmesan and a few fennel fronds.