I can understand, well sort of understand, those of you who don't like fennel, it does have a very characteristic flavour raw and can get into a pretty sad state if cooked badly but when it is done well fennel can make your meal a special one! But don't worry, in this dish you just feel a faint echo of the fennel and I really think meat and tomatoes go so well with fennel and fennel seeds that I am now convincing myself that you all will love it! You will, won't you??
But I have a sentimental thing going on about fennel because my mother loved it and she passed that love along to me. Her obvious joy when she could find fresh fennel in Sweden decades ago and to cook and eat it was so pure that sometimes I wonder if it was that and not the fennel itself that made me fall in love with it. She used to serve it simply cooked with melted good butter and that is one of my favourite ways to eat it but it has to be on a good day, not a day when I miss her. But I have so many ways of eating fennel that I can safely eat it all week long without having to get beady eyed...
In this meat sauce or ragú, I have substituted the usual celery stick with fennel and added fennel seeds as well, they have a more rounded and sweeter flavour than the vegetable.
PASTA WITH MEAT AND FENNEL RAGÚ
4 servings
1 carrot
1 small fennel bulb
1 onion
1 tblsp fennel seeds
450 g/ 1 lb minced meat
750 ml/ 3,2 cups tomato sauce
400 g/ 0,9 lb pasta, preferably spagetti
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
Chop or dice finely the carrot, onion and fennel bulb and then cook together with the fennel seeds in some olive oil in a pan on medium heat until they are soft and the onion is transparent.
Increase the heat and add the minced meat and go on cooking, taking care to divide the meat carefully so you don't end up with big lumps. Add salt. When the meat has browned slightly, add the tomato sauce and leave to simmer under a half closed lid for 40 minutes, adding water if it gets too dry.
Cook the pasta while the meat sauce finish on the stove and when it is ready, mix the two wel and serve!
I love fennel. I use the bulbs, the seeds, the leaves and the dried flowers which I buy in Tuscany and keep in my freezer. Sometimes I just eat a piece of raw fennel when I want something sweet with no calories.
ReplyDeleteBut I never thought of putting it in Ragu! What a wonderful idea. Thanks for posting this.
I'm a big fan of fennel and post about it regularly. Love it raw (as a snack, in salad or as digestif) and have recently started cooking it as well. In fact, tonight I made a pasta with fennel, mushrooms and tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI too love fennel, although my family is not a big fan. But they will eat fennel in meat sauce like this!
ReplyDeleteI also love fennel. We can hardly ever buy the raw bulbs here, but I grow it in the garden, so have a plentiful supply of seeds. They are great to munch when you crave some flavour. I don't think the fennel I grow makes the nice juicy fat bulbs so abundant in Tuscany, unfortunately. Love the sound of this ragu!
ReplyDeleteAnother strange little thing we have in common, Ilva: I'm such a fennel lover too and it's also something that reminds me of my childhood!
ReplyDeleteThis pasta definitely calls my name, need to try this soon!
I love fennel too - but would never have considered experimenting with it in a ragù! If you say it works, I'm pretty sure it does!
ReplyDeleteCrazy wonderful photography as usual. I learn from you constantly Ilva! Wonderous fennel, but the connection to your mother is far more sweet.
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe with hints that speak to sweet Italian sausage but all your own. I love fennel with spinach salad and mandrin oranges or clementines.
Oooh, this sounds delicious! And I really like the idea of having fennel seeds and fennel root. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteWe've only relatively recently discovered the wonders of cooked fennel. (We already loved it raw and julienned for dipping into red pepper dip OR sliced thinly in a salad with oranges, red onions and dressed with a chilli flake vinaigrette.)
Our latest craze has been to rest chicken thighs on a bed of thinly sliced fennel and onion in a cast iron frying pan and then roast the lot. Fabulous!!
Gorgeous photos that transport us to your kitchen with comforting thoughts of your mom cooking a favorite meal for you. I purchased fennel yesterday, just to try your recipe!
ReplyDeleteHello Ilva .. I am definitely going to try this, I love fennel too .. and I love Pasta .. my sort of meal . Thanks for sharing your love of Fennel and your mum's too.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that I recently tryed fennel for the first time the other day and its flavor was amazing, I can see this dish being amazing too!
ReplyDeleteFennel is fantastic. Looks like a heart and tastes wonderful of mild licorice. I love it in many ways but the very best may be in a soupe with dry white vermouth and cream!
ReplyDeleteI didn't grow up with fennel. I don't think my mum ever cooked with it. Considering her cooking skills that is probably a good thing!
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