Orrechiette Ingredients
- 2 large bulbs of fennel
- 50g (2oz) of butter or olive oil.
- 3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced.
- 8 cascabel chillies
- 80g (3oz) blanched hazelnuts
- 150ml white wine
- 100ml vegetable stock or water
- 300-400 (10-14oz) orecchiette
- A small handful of tarragon leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
- salt and pepper
- vegetarian pecorino or began cheese to serve.
How to make Tommi Miers' Fennel Orrechiette
- Top and tail the fennel bulbs, keeping any fronds but discarding the tough outer layer (perfect for feeding to rabbits or guinea pigs). Cut the bulbs in half and finely slice, then chop.
- Melt the butter and half the oil in a large, heavy bottomed casserole dish. Add the fennel, season well with salt and pepper and cook over a medium–high heat for about 10 minutes, lowering the heat if the fennel threatens to catch. You want to shrink it into a soft, pale brown mass. After 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove the stems from the cascabels and tear into pieces. Heat a small frying pan (skillet)
- Over a medium–high heat and toast the chillies for 10–20 seconds on both sides until changing colourand fragrant. Try not to burn them or they will lose their lovely flavour and turn bitter. Scoop into a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10–15 minutes to soften.
- Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
- Toast the hazelnuts in the same dry frying pan or in a medium oven until pale golden. Drain the chilliesand grind with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a pestle and mortar, or small grinder, to a smooth-ish paste. Add the hazelnuts and roughly bash to get a rough mixture of smaller and bigger hazelnut crumbs.
- Pour the wine and stock or water into the fennel and simmer for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
- Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water. Pour the pasta into the fennel with the tarragon and half the pasta water and stir for a minute to produce a syrupy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve at the table with more tarragon, a wedge of pecorino to liberally grate over and the rest of the olive oil to drizzle over.
COOK’S NOTE
Cascabels are mild chillies and widely available online, but if you can’t get hold of them, sprinkle in ½ teaspoon Aleppo or Korean chilli flakes or, for a hotter finish, one or two crumbled árbol chillies.
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