Now that spring has officially arrived, a little home spring cleaning is just what our family needs. And what better way to support that than a healthy vegetarian dish that highlights the delightfully flavorful, fennel (see image below to appreciate it in its full glory).
Photo credit: http://www.lesliebeck.com/images/featured_foods/fennel_300.jpg
The wonderful recipe that featured my large fennel plant that our friendly Front Door Organics Delivery Service (http://www.frontdoororganics.com/) provided along with our local fresh fruits and vegetables last week, was for Fennel, Zucchini, and Black Olive Penne. Below is this relatively simple yet delicious recipe for your perusal from Front Door Organics (http://www.frontdoororganics.com/):
Ingredients:
-1 bulb fennel
-2 cloves garlic
-10 black Kalamata olives
-lemon juice
-shaved parmesan or garnish
-1 zucchini
-2 cups dried penne
-4 tbsp olive oil
-salt and pepper
-1/4 cup chopped parsley
Directions:
Trim the fennel base and tops, cut in half lengthways and then in quarters lengthways. Cut the zucchini in quarters, lengthways also. Use a tablespoon of oil to coat, set on a baking sheet and roast at 400F for about 20 minutes, until softened and starting to turn brown.
Meanwhile remove pits romt he olives and roughly chop. Mince the garlic well and bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a large pan, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil over low heat and gently cook the garlic, remove from heat when it starts to colour.
Cook the pasta to al dente and when the fennel and zucchini have roasted, remove from the oven, all to cool slightly and then roughly chop.
Add the chopped zucchini and fennel to the pan with the garlic, heat over medium and add the olives and drained pasta. Combine with a tablespoon of oil, chopped parsley, a little pasa water, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and black pepper. Serve topped with shaved Parmesan.
Note: This meal was a light and delightful dinner for two. For those with gluten sensitivities, replace whole wheat penne with a gluten free product such as brown rice penne. The leftovers for next day’s lunch supercharged our day as we attempted to purge, purge, purge and clean our lives into simplified beauty and order. More on this in my next post!
