Spaghettini with fennel & lamb ragu

Spaghettini with fennel & lamb ragu

• 220g spaghettini (or regular spaghetti)
• 200g Lamb mince
• 1 cup fennel thinly sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsps black olives (chopped)
• Parmesan cheese (as much or as little as you like)

Peel and finely dice the garlic (or put it through a garlic crusher), finely chop the black olives, pick the leaves from the rosemary and chop them very finely.  If your fennel has wispy fronds at the top of the bulb remove and keep to one side.  Chop the root from the base of the fennel and then slice widthways very finely (if you have a mandolin use that).  

Heat 1 tbsp of olive in a pan on a medium heat and add the garlic and rosemary.  Cook until the garlic just starts to change colour then add the fennel with a pinch of salt.  Cook for around 6 minutes until the fennel is soft, don’t brown the fennel.  

Add the lamb to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon.  Add a pinch of salt and season with black pepper and the chopped olives.  Brown the mince (continue to break it up, you don’t want clumps) then add the tomatoes, swish the can out with cold water and add a fifth of the water into the pan.  If you have it, add a good glug of Worcestershire sauce and a few more grinds of pepper.  Turn the heat down and bubble away gently to thicken the sauce.

Whilst the sauce is bubbling away, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add a pinch or two of salt and when boiling rapidly add the pasta and cook as per the packet instructions.  Once the pasta is cooked drain and pour into the pan of sauce and toss it all together then serve.  Grate some Parmesan over the dish and if you had the wispy fronds from the fennel, finely chop them and sprinkle them on top.

Recipe courtesy of Hello Fresh – see here for more information or to join – Hello Fresh  use code DBG5LB at checkout for a £20 saving!

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