SHRIMP AND FENNEL PASTA

SHRIMP AND FENNEL PASTA image

Categories Pasta

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter
1 small bulb fennel, halved vertically and thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, halved vertically and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
A few tablespoons dry white wine
5 ounces spaghetti or other pasta
8 ounces cooked peeled shrimp
1-2 tablespoons black olive tapenade
1/2 cup sheep's milk Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

Steps:

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat. (I may have used more than called for here.) Add the fennel and onion, stir, and saute until starting to soften. Put the pasta water on to boil. Reduce the heat on the fennel mixture to medium-low, add the garlic, and stir until fragrant. Add a splash of the wine to deglaze, reduce heat to low, and continue to cook, with one or more additions of wine as needed, while you cook the pasta. When the pasta is almost done, stir the shrimp into the fennel mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. The shrimp should release a bit more moisture into the mixture to create a bit of sauce. Drain the pasta, return to the pot, and toss it with the tapenade and half the cheese. Serve onto plates and top with the fennel mixture and the rest of the cheese. Serves 2. Note: For a brighter flavor, might try substituting water for the wine and adding a squeeze of lemon to the fennel at the end.