White bean and fennel pasta with peppered parmesan crumb

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Dice the onion and mince the garlic.

Trim the stalks off the fennel bulb and trim the base. Pick the fronds (leaves) and set aside, discard the stalks.

Quarter the fennel lengthways.

Strain and rinse the white beans.

Put a pot with salted water on medium heat.

Toss the fennel in oil and salt, then roast in the oven for 15 minutes – it should become quite charred.

Fry the onions in a large pot on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and white beans and fry for another 2 minutes.

Put the pasta in the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, until al dente. Stir it every few minutes so it doesn’t clump together.

Take just over half of the bean, onion and garlic mix and add it to a blender with the vegetable stock and a couple of tablespoons of pasta water. Blend thoroughly, taste and add more water or salt as needed.

Pour the pasta sauce back into the pot with the remaining bean mix.

Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce pot.

Take half of the roasted fennel and roughly chop it, adding it to the pasta.

Fold everything together.

Plate pasta with fennel quarter on the top and sprinkle with peppered parmesan crumb and the fennel fronds. Better with Beans Booya!