Fennel, Olive and Mascarpone Linguine

Ugh I just love fennel. I also love olives and capers and mascarpone, so I thought, why not throw them together! You can’t go wrong with these flavors.

Recipe by Tierney Larson

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 box (8 oz) linguine

Kosher Salt

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced plus save some fronds for serving

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 shallots, thinly sliced

a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1 4.6oz jar of green olives, pitted and roughly chopped 

1 tbl capers, roughly chopped

Zest from 1 lemon

A spoon full of mascarpone

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Ok so, this sauce comes together in about 10 minutes, so start your linguine while your fennel is sautéing, and it should be al dente and ready to add to the sauce when the sauce is done.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, when hot, add 2 tbl of olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the fennel a pinch of kosher salt, some black pepper and garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally until the fennel is tender, about 6 minutes. Add the Pasta into the boiling water. Keep a measuring cup and ladle next to the pot, because you will need some pasta water before you drain!!

Back to the fennel sauce: add the shallots and another pinch of salt and cook for about a minute, then add the pepper flakes, olives, and capers. Stir and let cook for another minute or so until the pasta is ready to add. Then, add about a half a cup of pasta water to the fennel mixture, then add the pasta straight into the pan, add the lemon zest, some more black pepper and taste. When the pasta looks coated in the fennel mixture, and it tastes a nice al dente, add the mascarpone and stir coating the pasta. Add some more black pepper if you like, and then serve topped with fennel fronds.