Spaghetti with fennel, anchovies, currants, pine nuts and capers

A delicious pasta dish ready in around 30 minutes. Salty, sweet and simple.

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb

200g spaghetti

50 ml Olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

100g anchovies, roughly chopped

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

70g currants, soaked in boiling water for 5 mins and drained

2½ tbsp capers, rinsed

1 small pack flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped

75g pine nuts, toasted

good squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Quarter the fennel bulbs. Remove the coarse outer leaves and trim the tips (cut off and reserve any fronds). Remove and discard the core from each quarter, then chop the rest of the fennel.

Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the fennel until soft, then add the garlic and cook gently until pale gold. Add the anchovies, press with a wooden spoon, then add the chilli. When the anchovies fall apart, toss in the currants, capers, parsley and most of the pine nuts.

Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the frying pan. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Toss together, then serve straight from the pan or transfer to a large warm serving bowl. Scatter over the remaining pine nuts and any fennel fronds.