Fennel Pasta Recipe with Orange and Pecan Nuts
This simple and quick vegetarian fennel pasta recipe combines the classic flavours of a fennel and orange salad with the versatility of noodles, you'll love it!
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 534kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Small Fennel Bulb 175-200g
- 1 Orange
- 50 g Pecan Nuts ½ Cup
- 1 Small Red Onion 75g
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard
- 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 175 g Pappardelle Pasta 6oz
- Salt ( To taste)
Instructions
- Bring a 20cm or 8" saucepan of well-salted water to the boil. I use 1½ teaspoons in a pan this size
- Remove any fennel fronds from the bulb and set them aside for garnish later, then cut the root off the bulb and slice as finely as you can; a mandolin really helps here. Then cut the slices into strips around 1-1½cm (½-¾) thick.
- Peel the red onion and cut it into rings roughly the same thickness as the fennel (use the same setting on the mandolin).
- Zest the orange.
- Place the shaved fennel in a large flat bowl and add the olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt.
- Drop the pappardelle into a 20cm or 8" saucepan containing boiling salted water (1½ teaspoons of water for a pan this size) and cook as per instructions (approx 7-8 minutes).
- Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a very high heat, and when it is hot, add the oil-coated fennel, keeping as much oil in the bowl as possible. Cook for 4-5 minutes, tossing regularly.
- Add the mustard, orange zest, and vinegar to the bowl we had the fennel in and stir in the sliced red onion.
- Throw in the pecan nuts for the final minute of cooking, keeping them moving in the pan all of the time in order to stop them from burning. You could chop the pecan nuts if you like to distribute them more evenly through the dish.
- Drain the pasta (reserving around 75ml or ⅓ cup of water) and add the pappardelle to the frying pan.
- Add the red onion and mustard mixture to the frying pan, combine and add as much of the pasta water as required to get a nice emulsion.
- Finally, cut the orange in half and squeeze in some orange juice, tasting as you go. How much you will need will depend on your orange, so start with just a little and taste as you go. Then serve with the reserved fennel fronds.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 405mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g
