Roasted Fennel Pasta

I had a taste for fennel and brought some home with no idea what to do with it. Browsed around and found a recipe on line that used roasted fennel as a side dish and that inspired this dinner.

Couple of comments. Whenever I can I buy spices as whole seeds. They last much longer on the shelf and add much more flavor when ground just before using them. I have a coffee grinder that is dedicated to spices, or you can use a mortar and pestle. Also, I always use parchment when doing just about anything on a baking sheet, cleanup is way easy. My wife and I have a running joke about dried bay leaves, We're not sure how much they really add. I did find fresh bay leaves over the holiday and they are very pungent, so only use one if it's fresh.

Roasted Fennel Pasta

2  fennel bulbs, sliced 1/2"
2  carrots, sliced lengthways 1/2 "
1/2  red onion, sliced 1/2"
Olive oil
1 tsp  coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp  aniseed, ground
1  clove, ground
2  bay leaves
2  28 oz. cans roma tomatoes
1  14 oz can tomato puree
1/2 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Fettucine

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange fennel, carrots and onion on baking sheet, drizzle with oil salt and pepper. Roast the veggies until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Process to a fine puree.

In a large saucepan over medium high heat add the tomatoes, tomato puree and the roasted vegetables, add the coriander, aniseed, clove and bayleaves. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and bring to a boil. When the wine has cooked off (you can smell it going), add the chicken stock to achieve the desired consistency. Check for seasoning, simmer for 30 minutes or so, remove the bay leaf  and serve over cooked pasta. 

I think this would be good with Italian sausage as well. Or use vegetable stock and make it vegan.