Fennel

So I sent in my form about adopting a rabbit (I found one in a shelter from a website). We are all impatient to hear whether it's going to happen or not. Actually today was busy with good stuff (including rabbits) and stressful stuff. Little boy has yet to adapt to the new year of school rhythm and rules and so we are going from "Mummy you are nasty" (I had half an hour of that on repeat this morning at some unearthly time - far too early to actually react) to hanging on to poor Mum's legs and rejecting everyone else. He has had countless tantrums today and he seems unable to deal with any obstacle which stands between him and his ruling the universe. Hard work and tiring. Thank goodness girly has a "new" atlas and is freaking out over the size of Canada and wondering whether Argentina is in Europe and is learning capital cities. I tried to show off my own knowledge (at age nine I knew them all) but got a bit (cough cough) muddled with Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague... Don't ask me! Or ask me now but not tomorrow.

We did eat some delicious pasta which I think you should all recreate in celebration of fennel! We adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe in er Happy Days with the Naked Chef. I have no photo since we ate it too quickly.

This is what you do:
fry some sliced garlic, a crumbled chili pepper and some rosemary in some olive oil for one minute,
add some crushed fennel seeds and fry for one minute,
add some fennel in eighths, previously boiled for just short of 10 minutes, and fry for 5 minutes,
add some halved cherry tomatoes and, if you wish, some canned tomatoes or other juice (wine, stock) and stew for as long as it takes from 15 minutes up.
Meanwhile cook the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, fry some dry breadcrumbs in olive oil until crispy.
Then.
Mix pasta and sauce on the plate and then sprinkle breadcrumbs over.

You will not be disappointed. Yum.

Gosh I forgot to mention that originally he makes this with salami added right at the beginning. Boyf' just grilled some bacon and added it to his plate at the end. You could go with anchovies too since apparently fennel is very Sicilian and we all know Sicilians love anchovies right? Anyone Sicilian around to correct me? (I'm nudging you!). and in any case... vegan is best!

Hmm must go take photo for post, back in a tick... ha ha I am back in my time and of course my mind has wandered. I took a photo of the recipe but then remembered Jamie's excellent trainers on the back of the dust jacket. I actually fell in love with these on a stranger's feet over ten years ago but in red and gold and so procured myself a pair which I only dumped, almost sole-less but they still had soul, just a couple of months ago... And have now replaced them with the excellent trainers at the top... not vegan but second-hand and second-hand direct from New York. Love them. Funny how things turn out. Fennel to trainers from New York.

PS you can just about see Jamie's trainers below mine if you click on the photo...

Bon je pense que je traduirai tout cela demain! Revenez donc pour une excellente recette de pâtes au fenouil et une histoire de basquettes...