Welsh dragon pasta, fennel, chilli and tomato sauce

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Serve with the cheese and sourdough crumb sprinkled on top.