Pasta with lamb and fennel

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Pasta with lamb and fennel

This is Giovanni Calabrese, Founder and Director of Liber Edition publishing. Giovanni is a long time client and friend of Restaurant Roberto, he is Italian from Molise and his way of cooking compliments his region. In his enjoyable company, we prepared a Quebec Lamb and fennel spaghetti dish, which we savoured, every bite with delight! Enjoy!

Pasta with lamb and fennel

By Giovanni Calabrese Pasta Print
Details
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1h45 to 2h30
Servings or yield: For 4 people
Difficulty level: Easy
Ingredients
700 g of boneless lamb shoulder of, keep the bone if possible
1 fennel
1 jar or can (560 g) of whole Italian tomatoes
600 g fresh or dry spaghetti
1 onion
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a big pan, heat some olive oil on medium heat, mince and add onion. 

Cut the lamb in cubes and add to pan with bone, simmer over medium-low heat. Transfer tomatoes without the juices, in a bowl, crush it with a fork, add to pan and continue simmer over medium-low heat.

Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to boil. Clean and cut the fennel in small Quarters. When water is boiling, add fennel and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take fennel out of watermand set aside.

Keep fennel-cooking water and add about ½ cup to pan with the lamb with fennel quarters and simmer for about 1h30 to 2h.

When Lamb preparation is ready, Fill a big pot with water and bring to boil. When water is boiling, add a pinch of salt and your pasta. Cook for about 4 minutes or until « al dente ». When ready, drain pasta.

Take out the fennel from your Lamb preparation, set aside in a plate. Add drained paste to Lamb preparation and mix gently.

Serve each portion with a fennel quarter and enjoy!

Tips, Tricks + Culinary ideas

Flavour tip Always cook your meat with bone.
Flavour tip Recuperate the cooking water of your vegetables add to your preparations of sauces or stews.

Preparation steps

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1 - Mince onion.

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2 - In a big pan, heat some olive oil on medium heat.

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3 - Add onion and cook for 2 minutes.

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4 - Cut the lamb in cubes.

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5 - Add Lamb to pan with bone if possible.

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6 - Cook over medium heat 2 minutes.

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7 - In a bowl, crush tomatoes without the juices with a fork.

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8 - Add tomatoes to the pan, bring to boil. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking with cover.

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9 - Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to boil.

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10 - Clean and cut the fennel bulb in 4 keeping a bit of base, so the fennel doesn't dry up.

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11 - When water is boiling, add fennel cook for 10 minutes.

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12 - After 10 minutes, take fennel out of water, set aside in a plate. Keep fennel-cooking water.

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13 - After about 1h-1/2, add enough fennel-cooking water to finish cooking the meat, about 1/2 Cup.

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14 - Add fennel quarters to the Lamb preparation. Cover , continue cooking for about 1/2 hour.

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15 - In the meantime fill a big pot with water and bring to boil.

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16 - When water is boiling, add a pinch of salt and your pasta. Cook for about 4 minutes or until « al dente ».

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17 - When ready, drain pasta.

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18 - Take out the fennel from your Lamb preparation, set aside in a plate.

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19 - Add drained paste to Lamb preparation and mix gently.

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20 - Serve each portion with a fennel quarter and enjoy!

Pasta