The sweet, familiar combination of pine nuts and currants offsets the mild anise bitterness of fresh fennel here. Omit the pasta from this Sicilian sauce and you’ll have a good vegetable dish. If you can find the herb fennel (those living in southern California can find it wild, and many gardeners use it as an ornamental), use a few of the feathery parts of its stalks in place of the tops of the bulb. If you cannot, add the fennel seeds for stronger flavor.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the currants in warm water to cover. Toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned, just a few minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Separate the fennel stalks and leaves from the bulb; chop the bulb. Trim the feathery leaves, mince, and set aside. Chop the stalks and put them in the boiling water.
Step 2
Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add the onion, chopped fennel bulb, and fennel seeds if you’re using them. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and fennel are softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add some salt and pepper. Drain the currants and add them, along with all but a tablespoon of the pine nuts. Scoop the chopped fennel stalks from the boiling water and add them, along with about 1/2 cup of the water. Simmer while you cook the pasta.
Step 3
When the pasta is tender but not mushy, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Put it in a bowl and add the sauce, along with a little of the reserved water if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with a little of the fennel leaves and the remaining pine nuts.
