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Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Tomatoes and fennel pair well together, especially in summer — fennel, also called anise, has similar cooling properties to cucumber. This recipe gets an added anise hit with a splash of ouzo or Pernod, just to liven things up.
It is a great vegetarian sauce to serve with pasta, ideally long pasta, like spaghetti, but any pasta shape will do. This is a thick sauce, however, so don’t go with any pasta shape that is too delicate, like angel hair.
If you don’t want to use this sauce for pasta, it is good with polenta, or as a sauce to simmer calamari, octopus, shrimp or crawfish in. If you do use it as a simmer sauce for seafood, serve it with some crusty bread.
Once you make the sauce, it will store in the fridge for 10 days or so. You can also freeze it.
Serves 6-8, and can be doubled.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup fennel, finely chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1/4 cup ouzo or other anise-flavored liqueur
- 1 quart tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes (seeded)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon mint or lemon verbena, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Parmesan, pecorino or mizythra cheese to garnish
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- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, deep pan or a large pot. When the oil is hot, add the fennel and onion and saute for 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Sprinkle some salt over everything while they are cooking. Don’t let the veggies brown — turn down the heat if you need to. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two.
- Pour in the ouzo and let this boil until it is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, honey and mint and mix well. Taste for salt and add some if needed. Let this simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- The following is optional, but makes a better sauce for long pasta like spaghetti. Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and puree. If you are going to serve this sauce with short pasta, like penne or bowties, you can skip this step.
- Pour the blended sauce back into the pot and bring to a simmer. You’re ready to serve. This is a powerful sauce, so use less than you think you need at first. Serve with a light red wine like a Sangiovese or a Grenache.
Thanks Hank! Can you clarify – fennel bulb or fennel fronds?
Ingrid: Fennel bulbs. You can use fronds for garnish, but the bulbs help give body to the sauce.
Hank,
I’d of course think about using wild fennel in this recipe, but I understand it doesn’t get much of a bulb. Does the bottom stalk of wild fennel have the same properties as domestic fennel?
Aaron: Yep, you can use it. Just chop it finer. Wild fennel stalks can be stringy, especially this late in the year.
Could I add a couple anchovy filletes to create some meaty flavour?
Squeak: Absolutely! Good idea. I’d add 2-3 little fillets, mashed up.
I just returned from 2 weeks in Tusacany and enjoyed pasta with fennel flowers. I was able to buy some and bring it home. I will defintely be making this sauce for the pici I learned to make! Thanks for the recipe.