Fennel and Mushroom Pasta for One

I love fennel. From its licorice-flavored fronds to its celery-shaped stalk, it’s something I could eat very nearly every day. When you fry it a little, the flavor gets milder, but no less delicious. Yummmmm.

1 serving spaghetti or fettuccini noodles

1 TBLSP olive oil

1 TBLSP vegan butter

2 thin slices yellow onion, cut into crescents

3 mushrooms, halved and sliced

½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

¼ cup white wine or 2 TBLSP vodka and 1 TBLSP water

Sprinkle of flour (use corn starch if you’re gluten free)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, get the water boiling for the pasta. Don’t start the sauce until the pasta’s in the water—it goes fast! Once the water’s boiling, put the pasta in and start the sauce.
2. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter, and sauté the onion and mushroom for a few minutes, until the onion is soft but not yet translucent.
3. Add the fennel and continue stirring and sautéing until the fennel is relaxed, the onions are transparent, and the mushrooms have lost and reabsorbed all their water and are turning a little brown.
4. Add in the garlic, give it 20 seconds or so, and then add in the wine or water and vodka mixture. Sprinkle the flour and stir it in to make a thicker sauce.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a bed of cooked noodles. Yum!