Tomato Fennel Sauce
Tomato-fennel pasta sauce

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, in this case homemade pici pasta — they are thick spaghetti strands rolled out entirely by hand. You could use any pasta, but ideally it should be long pasta, like spaghetti. This is a thick sauce, so don’t go with any pasta shape that is too delicate, like angel hair.

Once you make the sauce, it will store in the fridge for 10 days or so. You can also freeze it.

Serve 6-8, and can be doubled

  • 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 or crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon mint or lemon verbena, chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Parmigiano, pecorino or mizythra cheese to garnish

 

  1. 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.
  2. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two.
  3. Pour in the ouzo and let this boil until it is reduced by half.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes, honey and mint and mix well. Taste for salt and add some if needed.
  5. Let this simmer gently for 30 minutes.
  6. The following is optional, but makes a better sauce for long pasta. If you are going to serve this sauce with short pasta, like penne or bowties, you don’t need this step: Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and buzz to puree all the bits of onion and fennel.
  7. Pour the blended sauce back into the pot and bring to a simmer. You’re ready to serve.
  8. 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.

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