Fennel Bacon Pasta Salad Recipes

FENNEL-BACON PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Remove drippings, reserving 3 tablespoons in pan. Saute fennel in reserved drippings for 4-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add walnuts; cook 3-4 minutes longer or until toasted. , Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup pasta water. Add pasta, bacon and 3/4 cup cheese to fennel mixture; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Toss lightly until cheese is melted, adding enough reserved pasta water to coat pasta. Serve warm with remaining cheese. Refrigerate leftovers.

BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown. Drain and chop.
• In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Stir in milk until smooth. Place rotini, bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese in bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a little dry.

CELERY AND FENNEL WITH BACON

Steps:

• Reserve 1/2 cup celery leaves. Remove strings from celery ribs with peeler, then cut celery ribs into 3- by 1/4-inch sticks.
• Reserve 1/2 cup fennel fronds. Trim fennel stalks flush with bulbs. Cut any brown spots from outer layers and quarter bulbs lengthwise. Cut out most of cores, leaving enough to hold layers together. Cut bulbs lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide slices.
• Have ready 2 large bowls of ice and water. Cook celery ribs in a large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to 1 bowl of ice water. Return water to a boil and cook fennel bulbs 2 minutes, then transfer to second bowl of ice water. When vegetables are cool, drain both in a colander.
• Cook bacon in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until crisp, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add shallot to bacon fat and cook, stirring, until softened. Add celery and fennel and cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add broth and simmer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are barely tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Coarsely chop reserved celery leaves and fennel fronds. Remove pot from heat and stir in leaves, fronds, parsley, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste.

ASPARAGUS-FENNEL PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place asparagus, onions and fennel in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. , Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives, parsley and roasted vegetables. , In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

CHESTNUT MUSHROOM, FENNEL & BACON FUSILLI

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the fennel and onion for 15 mins, or until softened. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for 1 min, then add the tomato purée and stir for 1 min more. Toss in the bacon and fry for 5-6 mins.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Add the mushrooms to the frying pan, stir and cover for 8 mins, or until the mushrooms are soft.
• Drain the pasta, adding a ladle of the cooking water to the sauce. Tip in the pasta and stir to coat. Add the rest of the oil and scatter over the parsley and Parmesan.

WARM FENNEL SLAW WITH BACON

Steps:

• Trim the stems and leaves from the fennel bulbs. Chop and reserve two tablespoons of the leaves. Discard the stems. Quarter and shred the fennel bulbs by hand or on the fine slicing disk of a food processor. Put the fennel in a bowl.
• Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a heavy skillet, add the bacon and saute over medium heat until the bacon is golden. Pour the contents of the skillet through a strainer into a heatproof bowl. Spread the pieces of bacon on absorbent paper.
• Add the vinegar to the skillet and heat briefly, then stir in the mustard. Return the reserved bacon fat to the pan and add the remaining olive oil. Season to taste with pepper.
• Pour the dressing over the fennel, add the chopped leaves and the chives and serve at once. For convenience, the dressing and fennel can be prepared in advance. Wait until just before serving to reheat the dressing, then toss it with the fennel.

CORN AND FENNEL RAGU

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and place over medium-high heat. When hot, add the shallots and fennel. Season with cumin, mustard seeds and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the corn and saute until tender, about 4 minutes more. Add 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the corn mixture and liquid to a blender and puree. Strain the puree pressing the solids; discard the solids. Pour the corn puree back into the skillet and simmer to a ragu consistency, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve with the gently smoked salmon.