Short Pasta with Braised Fennel, Lemon and Crispy Breadcrumbs

La storia di questo piatto

This is a home-kitchen interpretation, not a codified tradition: no historical recipe pairs these exact ingredients. It draws on the southern Italian habit of cooking fennel and pasta together, and gives it a quiet, lemony turn of its own.

Ingredienti

• 180 g mezze maniche (or other short ridged pasta)
• 450 g fennel (with fronds)
• 1 piece unwaxed lemon
• 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 30 g finely grated Pecorino Romano
• 1.5 l water for cooking the pasta
• 10 g coarse salt for the water
• 2 g fine salt
• 80 ml water for braising the fennel
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparazione

1. Set a large pot of water with coarse salt on high heat so it is already boiling when you need it. Meanwhile, clean the fennel, removing the tough stalk and any damaged outer leaves; keep the green fronds aside, as they will provide the final aroma. Halve the bulbs and then slice them thinly, about 3 mm, so they soften quickly. For the lemon zest, use a vegetable peeler or a fine grater and stop at the yellow part: the white pith is bitter and would ruin everything. Then squeeze the juice and set it aside.
2. In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs and a pinch of fine salt. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes, until golden and fragrant like toasted bread. This crunch will contrast with the softness of the fennel. As soon as it is ready, tip it onto a small plate at once: in the hot pan it would keep darkening and turn bitter.
3. In a wide pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat with the crushed garlic clove, until fragrant without browning: if the garlic darkens it becomes bitter, so lower the heat if needed. Add the fennel with a pinch of fine salt, which helps it release water and seasons it from within. Sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges are lightly golden: that colour is all flavour.
4. Pour the 80 ml of water over the fennel and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to recover all the golden flavour stuck to it. Cover and lower the heat: braise for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then. When 9 minutes of braising remain and the pasta water is boiling vigorously, add the pasta and cook it for about 9 minutes, 1–2 minutes less than the package indicates, since it will finish cooking in the sauce. The fennel is ready when you can crush it with a fork without resistance and it is almost creamy.
5. Before draining, scoop out about 150 ml of the cooking water with a ladle: it is rich in starch and is your secret to a silky sauce. Remove the garlic from the pan, drain the pasta and add it to the fennel with about 80 ml of that water. Bring to medium-high heat and stir energetically for 1 minute, until the liquid binds into a creamy sauce that coats the spoon. If it dries out too much, add a splash of the hot cooking water left in the ladle (the roughly 70 ml you didn't use) and stir again.
6. Turn off the heat and add the lemon zest, the Pecorino, the pepper, the last spoonful of oil (raw) and half the lemon juice. Stir vigorously: away from the heat the cheese melts without clumping and the zest keeps its fragrance without cooking. Always taste before serving: if the dish seems flat, add more lemon juice drop by drop; if it lacks savouriness, a pinch of salt or a little more Pecorino.
7. Serve immediately on warm plates so the pasta holds its shape longer. Sprinkle with the crispy breadcrumbs and the roughly chopped fennel fronds. Eat while hot: the breadcrumbs soon lose their crunch, and it would be a shame to let them soften.