Chorizo & Fennel w/ Penne

This is why I love autumn so much... fennel.  I didn't even know this vegetable existed until a couple of years ago.  OK, that's not entirely true - of course I knew it existed - but I'd never used it in any recipe I'd followed.  And then I was looking for an easy-to-prepare meal for a Gourmet Weekend Away* and found this in one of Donna Hay's first issues.  I've got one other recipe that I've used fennel in (a salad).  And that's all I know about fennel.  I'm not Martha, no matter what you may have heard.

Chorizo & Fennel with Penne
(serves 4)

2 chorizo
2 baby fennel
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 bunch continental (Italian) parsley
400g penne, prepared according to directions until al dente
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Thinly slice the chorizo and fry in a non-stick frypan until done.  Remove from pan and set aside, leaving the oily goodness in the pan.

Thinly slice the capsicum and fennel, then stir-fry in the oily goodness for about 5 minutes or until it begins to soften.  You can keep cooking this until quite soft if you like, it's up to you.  Throw the chorizo back in and heat through.

Roughly chop the parsley.  Drain the pasta then return it to the big pasta pot with the chorizo, fennel and capsicum.  Toss in the chopped parsley and stir.

Dish up in bowls and sprinkle with an obscene amount of parmesan cheese.

(if you want to see the how-to photos, go over here).(i fixed that link... it was broke)

*Gourmet Weekend Away - once a year PJ and I go with a group of friends (three or four other couples) and we rent a house with a great kitchen and have a three-day cook-off.  We all come home a few kilos heavier.  It's fantastic.  The next one is booked for October and I can hardly wait.

Comments

[Kirsten]

I only discovered Fennel in the past couple of years too. You know what else it is god in is a fritata. Stir fry before hand, same as you do for this recipe. Yum.