nom nom foody.

Last night's recipe required one single, teeny-tiny jalapeno pepper to be finely chopped. Now I'm mildly perturbed by the burning sensation in my fingertips. Typing... is... difficult. *hrmf*

For the first time, I wrote down some new year's resolutions for 2010. Some of them were pretty generic, others weren't. More importantly, my food-related resolutions included cooking more adventurously and more vegetables, less meat.

In the spirit of things, we made this recipe tonight, and it was delicious. Fennel is a vegetable that I've been experimenting with recently, and it's been one of my more surprising discoveries. It's subtle but flavourful, and tastes pretty darn good!

Spicy Spaghetti with Fennel and Herbs (serves 3-4)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces bacon, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large red jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 large fennel bulb, stalks and fronds removed, base thinly sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 pound spaghetti
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
Salt and pepper

Procedure
1. Add the bacon to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until browned. Remove the bacon with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil to the bacon fat and toss in the garlic and chiles. Cook for 1 minute and then add the fennel. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

2. Pour in broth, lemon juice, half the parsley, and fennel seeds. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. With about 5 minutes left in the timer for the fennel, cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the box. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta in a colander.

4. Remove the cover from the skillet with the fennel. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high and cook until most of the liquid has been evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the pasta to the skillet along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/4 cup of cheese, the cooked bacon, and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Toss well and cook for 1 minute. If mixture is too dry add the other 1/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid. Otherwise, plate the pasta.

5. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.