Rich Fennel Spaghetti
Fennel. Once solely the reserve of pro chefs and Dalston foodie hipsters (or “fipsters”™), now this delicately flavoured little plant is for everyone to experiment with. We whipped up this fennel and tomato spaghetti in no time and it was a roaring success. Fresh and full of flavour, the best bit is the squished tommies. They really make the sauce pop. A tasty but oh so easy vegan dinner idea.
Serves
Ingredients
For the sauce
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil - from the jar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp olive oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 fennel bulbs<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 red onion<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 garlic cloves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>4 sun-dried tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>500g cherry tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 sprig of basil - leaves only<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper to taste<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>400g spaghetti<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done> side salad<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Nutritional yeast or almond parmesan<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Large deep frying pan | Microplane | Large saucepan | Kettle (boiled)
First, prep the veg
- Peel and grate the garlic
- Peel and finely dice the red onion
- Trim and finely slice the fennel
- Finely slice the sun dried tomatoes
Start cooking
- Warm the sun-dried tomato oil in a pan over a medium heat
- Add the red onions and a pinch of salt and stir for 3-4 minutes
- Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds
- Add the fennel and sun dried tomatoes and stir for 3-4 minutes
- Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and set to one side
In the same pan, prepare the tomatoes
- Add a splash more oil to the pan
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper, stir, turn the heat down, put the lid on and shake the pan to prevent catching every minute for 5 minutes
- Take the lid off the pan and gently crush the tomatoes with a potato masher to release the juice
- Add the basil leaves to the pan and fold into the tomatoes and turn the heat right down
Now, prepare the pasta
- Cook the pasta according to pack instructions and save 100ml pasta water
Combine the veg, add the pasta to the sauce and serve
- Add the bowl of cooked fennel to the pan and fold into the tomatoes
- Add the pasta water to the pan, turn up the heat and simmer for 1 minute
- Turn the heat down, add the spaghetti to the pan and fold into the sauce
- Serve the Rich Fennel Spaghetti with a side salad and sprinkle of nutritional yeast