Fennel Puttanesca Recipes

GARGANELLI WITH FENNEL PUTTANESCA

Steps:

• On a floured work surface, roll out one square of the rested pasta dough to an approximately 14-by-16-inch rectangle. Cut sheet into 2-inch squares. Keep squares covered with plastic wrap to keep from drying out.
• Starting at one corner of each square, roll dough around a wooden dowel, chopstick, clean pencil, or other small rod that averages about 3/8-inches in diameter. Slide pasta tube off dowel and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet dusted with semolina. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high. Add fennel, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, olives, anchovies, capers, and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved juices; simmer until thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain. Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water to puttanesca, tossing to combine.
• Cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing a few more times, until sauce clings evenly to pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. (If sauce is too thick, add more pasta water, a little at a time.) Transfer to bowls and garnish with oregano and a drizzle of oil. Serve with more cheese and red pepper flakes on the side.

BRAISED HALIBUT WITH FENNEL IN PUTTANESCA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fennel and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir the garlic into the vegetables and cook 1 more minute, then stir in the oregano and red pepper flakes. Pour in the wine and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until most of the wine evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lemon zest, olives, capers and brine and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Season the fillets with salt and pepper, nestle them in the sauce and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley.

OVEN PUTTANESCA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Toss tomatoes, garlic, capers, oil, salt, and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes, then reduce oven to 375 degrees. Add olives, stirring once, and roast 15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.
• Toss with tomato sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with olive oil.

PENNE ALLA PUTTANESCA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta and the sauce: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir, and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes less than what the box advises. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by heating oil in a skillet over low heat. Rinse the anchovies and the capers under cold water to remove the salt, then soak in a small bowl of water for several minutes. Remove the pits from the olives by quickly smashing them with the side of a knife, then fillet the anchovies by removing the backbone (the longer they're soaked, the easier this will be). Add the anchovies, capers, garlic, olives, and parsley to the skillet, and cook until the anchovies are broken up and the garlic is lightly browned. Using a fork or your hands, break up the tomatoes in a mixing bowl and add to the skillet. Simmer sauce for 1-2 minutes, then check for seasoning (sauce will be naturally salty) and adjust with pepper.
• Assemble the dish: Perform the pasta "marriage ceremony" by reserving 1 cup of the pasta water and draining the rest. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the pasta water and puttanesca sauce into the pot. Cook over low heat, gently tossing the pasta with the sauce for 2 minutes to allow it to marry with the sauce. The pasta should still be firm to the bite. Transfer to a platter or bowl, garnish with more chopped parsley, and serve.