A simple sauce of fennel and onions cooked down with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, tossed with butterfly pasta. The vinegar adds depth and brings out the sweetness in the ingredients.
INGRDIENTS:
1 onion, halved, sliced radially into 1/8th inch strips 2 fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds removed, halved, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/8th inch strips 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, juices reserved, diced ¼ inch (Or use one can peeled tomatoes, and reserve 1 cup of juice at most.) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 15 basil leaves, cut into fine chiffonade, or 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Olive oil as needed 1 pound farfalle pastaMETHOD:
Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
While the water is heating, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high and coat the pan bottom liberally with oil. When hot, add the onions and toss to coat. Cook until soft and starting to color a little. Add the fennel to the onions and toss to combine. Cook until the fennel is soft and is caramelizing.
Make a well in the center of the vegetables, and slick with oil in pan is dry. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir into the vegetables.
Add the herbs, tomatoes, and any juices, and toss to combine. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring to break up the tomatoes. (If using canned tomatoes, add the tomatoes and half the reserved juice to start. Use just enough to form a sauce.) When the tomatoes are breaking down, drizzle the balsamic vinegar into the pan and stir in. Cook the contents of the pan until it reaches a sauce-like consistency. If the tomatoes are fairly dry, add water.
Once the sauce is rendered, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Keep warm.
When sauce is ready and water is boiling, cook pasta according to package. When pasta is done, remove 2 cups cooking water before draining and reserve. Drain noodles and return to pot. Add a splash of olive oil and 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Stir vigorously. Add pasta sauce to pan and heat through, mixing well. Cook until sauce coats pasta and sticks to it. If sauce is getting thick, add the rest of the pasta water and stir in. Cook until sauce coats pasta.
Serve hot, passing cheese for topping the pasta.
Chef’s Notes:
If you want this to be a more substantial dish, cook Italian sausage first, and then cook the dish in the pan after removing the sausage and most of the oil from them. Use some of the fat for cooking the sauce in. You could also add mushrooms to the dish.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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