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Welsh dragon pasta, fennel, chilli and tomato sauce

This pasta dish has been created by our team of culinary experts, influenced by the Italian style of cooking and flavours.

View the recipe card here

Ingredients

  • Serves 4.

  • 500g whole wheat fusilli pasta

  • 320g Lake District Farmers pork and

  • fennel sausage

  • 400g cherry tomatoes

  • 40g Italian hard cheese, grated

  • 360g fennel

  • 1 lemon, quartered

  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced

  • Pinch of fennel seeds

  • Small handful of oregano

  • Small handful of thyme

  • 3 tsp sea salt

  • Pinch cracked black pepper

  • 80ml olive oil

  • Sourdough crumb:

  • 50g sourdough breadcrumbs

  • 15g Italian hard cheese, shaved

  • 20g crispy onions

  • 1 clove of garlic, minced

  • 2 lemons

  • Pinch of chilli flakes

  • Pinch of yeast

  • Pinch of sea salt

  • Pinch of cracked black pepper

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • Adults need around 2000Kcal/8400kJ a day

    Typical values per portion: Energy 609Kcal/2546kJ

Method

  • 1. For the sourdough crumb: Remove the crusts from the bread and blitz till coarse resembling bulgur wheat. Mix the garlic with the oil. Add the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Roast in the oven at 160 degrees for approximately 15 minutes until golden, stirring from time to time. Allow to cool. Add zest of two lemons, yeast flakes, crispy onions, chilli, Italian hard cheese and check the seasoning. Store in an airtight container.

  • 2. Remove the tough outer layer of the fennel bulb and then halve and slice into 5cm slices.

  • 3. Place the fennel in a tray, add 50mls olive oil, 1 tsp salt, thyme and lemon. Cover with foil and cook for 40 minutes at 180 degrees till tender. Allow to cool, drain the oil and remove the lemon and thyme sprigs.

  • 4. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Dress with 30ml of the reserved fennel oil.

  • 5. Place the cherry tomatoes in a gastro and add the remaining fennel oil reserving 80ml, 1 tsp of salt and cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes at 180 degrees till the tomatoes have softened and released some of their juices.

  • 6. Break the sausage meat down into small pieces, heat a pan with 30ml of olive oil and fry the sausage meat till nicely coloured and crisp.

  • 7. Add the tomatoes, confit fennel, pasta, fresh oregano to the sausage meat, mixing well till piping hot.

  • 8. Serve with the cheese and sourdough crumb sprinkled on top.