Pizza Toppings

Servings: —
Preheat: 450°
Source: Fine Cooking 9/2004

Ingredients

Directions
Provençal Onion Pizza

Pissaladière is a signature Provençal dish from Nice and environs, a pizza spread with a thick, sweet layer of onions that have been cooked slowly until they caramelize and garnished with olives and anchovies

2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pounds sweet onions finely chopped; salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 minced garlic cloves; ½ bay leaf; 1 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or½ teaspoon dried thyme; 1½ teaspoons capers drained, rinsed and mashed in a mortar and pestle or finely chopped; 12 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for five minutes, drained, rinsed and dried on paper towels; 12 Niçoise olives

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, preferably with a pizza stone inside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they begin to sizzle and soften, about three minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Stir everything together, turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 45 minutes, stirring often. The onions should melt down to a golden brown puree. If they begin to stick, add a few tablespoons of water. Stir in the capers, then taste and adjust seasonings. If there is liquid in the pan, cook over medium heat, uncovered, until it evaporates.

Spread the onions over the mozzarella. Cut the anchovies in half, and decorate the top of the crust with them, making twelve small X’s and placing an olive in the middle of each X. Place on top of the pizza stone, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges of the crust are brown and the onions are beginning to brown. Remove from the heat. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Yield: One 12- to 14 inch pizza.

Pizza with Arugula and Prociutto

Brush crust (fresh or Boboli pre-made, which works surprisingly well) lightly with olive oil. Spread fresh mozzarella over crust, sprinkle with dried oregano, and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees on a pizza stone until cheese is bubbly and brown, and crust is golden.

Remove from oven. Immediately cover with raw arugula (which heat of pizza will cook) and then torn-up proscuitto. With a cheese slicer, top with curls of real parmesan cheese (no shaker cheese!). Finally drizzle with truffle oil. Last ingredient is important. Eat. Goes well with red wine.

Roasted Vidalia Onions
Yields 3½ cups.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 pounds Vidalia onions (about 5 or 6), sliced in half from stem to root
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 400°F. Set a large ovenproof skillet (or a flameproof roasting dish) over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Put in the olive oil and butter. When the butter foams or browns slightly, add the onions, cut side up. Cook until the onions brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Flip them so the cut sides face down and put the pan in the oven. Roast until the onions are very tender and dark golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sherry vinegar, salt, thyme, and sugar. Let cool to room temperature and then slice into thin strips; pour any juices from the pan over them and mix them in.

Roasted Red Pepper Purée
Yields 3¼ cups.

6 red bell peppers
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Position an oven rack 6 inches from the element and heat the broiler to high, or prepare a medium-hot fire on your gas or charcoal grill. Broil or grill the peppers, flipping every 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are blistered, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and seal with plastic. Let cool for about 20 minutes and then peel off the skins, remove the stem, scoop out the seeds, and discard the peppers’juices. Don’t rinse the peppers at any point, as this will wash off much of their sweet flavor. Put the flesh in a food processor or a blender. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and paprika. Purée on high until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer a smoother purée, force the mixture through a fine sieve.

Olive Tapenade

Yields 1¼ cups.

I prefer oil-cured olives for this tapenade. They have an intense flavor, and they blend into a nice, smooth paste.

1 cup pitted Kalamata or Gaeta olives (preferably oil-cured)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup diced red onion
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons drained capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cognac
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped and well combined.

Roasted Garlic

Yields about 2 cups.

6 heads garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 350°F. Cut off the tips of the garlic heads so you can see the cloves. Brush the cut sides of the heads with olive oil and set them, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the garlic is soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. While the heads are still warm, squeeze each one over a small bowl; the roasted cloves should slide out easily.

Gorgonzola, Escarole, and Bell Pepper

1/4 lb escarole or spinach, washed, spun dry and chopped coarse (about 3 1/2 C loosely packed)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
corn meal for sprinking the baking sheet
1/4 C crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1 red bell pepper, cut into julieene strips
1/2 C finely diced whole-milk mozzarella
1Tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tsp crumbled dried

In a heavy skillet cook the escarole in 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it is wilted slightly, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Press water out of escarole/spinach mixture.

Halve the dough, form each half into a ball, and stretch each ball into a 7-inch round, making the rounds slightly thicker around the edges. Transfer the rounds to an oiled baking sheet (preferably black steel), sprinkled lightly with the cornmeal, and drizzle each round with ½ teaspoon of the remaining oil. Top the rounds evenly with the Gorgonzola, the escarole mixture, the bell pepper, and the mozzarella and sprinkle the rosemary over the topping. Drizzle the pizzette with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and bake them on the bottom rack of a preheated 500°F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crusts are golden and the mozzarella is bubbling.

Gourmet 2/87 pg 156

Tomato Pizza with Garlic and Smoked Gouda

Cooking spray 1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups sliced plum tomato (about 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Sprinkle cheese over pizza crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the tomato slices over cheese. Combine oil and garlic; sprinkle over tomato. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with basil.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Servings: 8-10
Preheat: 350°
Source: From Fine Cooking October 1, 2001
Tangy pineapple and a buttery-sweet brown sugar topping are a good match for this yogurt cake. If you don’t have a square pan, a 9×2-inch round pan works too.

Serves eight to ten.

Ingredients
For the caramel:
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 oz (4 Tbs.) butter
For the fruit:
1 small, ripe pineapple, trimmed, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
For the cake:
8 oz (2 cups) cake flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lg eggs
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly butter the sides of an 8-inch square pan.

Make the caramel: In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil and pour into the prepared pan. Spread with a spatula to coat the bottom evenly. Scatter or arrange the pineapple slices evenly in the caramel, overlapping them slightly. Gently press the fruit into the caramel.

Make the cake: Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3 min. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly after each addition. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and, on low speed, mix just until the flour disappears. Add the yogurt and mix until just blended. Gently mix in the remaining flour. Scoop large spoonfuls of batter onto the fruit; gently spread the batter evenly in the pan. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 min. Immediately run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan. Set a flat serving plate on top of the pan and invert the cake. Let the inverted pan rest for about 5 min. to let the topping settle. Gently remove the pan and serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Stuffed Squid Braised in White Wine

Servings: 2
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook, Marcella Hazan, p. 232
recipeNotes: Menu Suggestions
If you wish to serve a vegetable side dish with the squid, the most suitable would be steamed potatoes. It is quite sufficient, however, to serve Zucchini Salad (page 415) or mixed greens afterwards. It can be preceded by Fettuccine with White Clam Sauce (page 135), or Risotto with Clams (page 192). 1 have found that Bresaola (page 47), with its tart, clean taste, makes an ideal prelude to this rather robust dish.

Calamari ripieni stufati al vino bianco

Ingredients
6 large squid (the sac should measure 4½ to 5 inches, not including the tentacles)

The stuffing:
1 tablespoon olive oil, approximately
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, or more to taste
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
2½ tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the pepper mill

The braising liquid:
Olive oil, enough to come ¼ inch up the side of the skillet
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup canned Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
¼ cup dry white wine

Directions
Clean and prepare the squid as directed on page 230.
Chop the squid tentacles very fine. In a bowl, mix them with all the stuffing ingredients until you have a smooth, even mixture. There should be just enough olive oil in the mixture to make it slightly glossy. If it doesn’t have this light surface gloss, add more olive oil.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal parts and spoon it into the squid sacs. (Do not overstuff, because the squid shrinks as it cooks and too much stuffing may cause it to burst.) (Sew up each opening tightly with darning needle and thread-and be sure to put the needle safely away as soon as you are finished using it or it may disappear into the sauce.) Previous is not necessary. Just don’t overstuff, so that the extra can squeeze out the top.
Choose a skillet large enough to hold the squid in a single layer and coat the bottom with just enough olive oil to come ¼ inch up the side of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic cloves until golden brown. Discard the garlic and put in the stuffed squid. Brown the squid well on all sides, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the chopped garlic, and the wine. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. The squid is done when it feels tender at the pricking of a fork.
Remove the squid to a cutting board and allow to settle for a few minutes. Slice away just enough from the sewn-up end to remove the thread and cut the rest into slices ½ inch thick. Arrange the slices on a warm serving platter so that each squid sac is recomposed. Warm up the sauce in the skillet, pour over the sliced squid, and serve immediately.

Note
This dish can be prepared 4 or 5 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Warm it up as follows: Preheat the oven to 300°. Transfer the squid and the sauce to a bake-and-serve dish, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, and place in the middle level of the oven. Turn and baste the slices as they warm up, being careful that they don’t break up. Serve when warm.

If you have extra stuffing, which is likely, dredge in breadcrumbs, form into burgers, and saute in olive oil. Serve as left overs with above sauce if there is extra.

Strawberry Pie Haussner’s

Servings: —
This is the best pie..

Ingredients
4 cups hulled strawberries

Pastry Cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 c sugar
2 Tbs. sifted cornstarch
2 Tbs. sifted flour
1 cup scaled milk
2 Tbs. softened unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Pie crust

Directions
Make pastry cream (below). Make pâte brisée and roll the dough into a round 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie tin, prick the shell with a fork, and chill it for 30 minutes. Line the shell with wax paper, fill the paper with raw rice, and bake the shell on a baking sheet in the lower third of a preheated hot oven (425° F.) for 10 minutes. Remove the rice and the paper carefully and bake the shell for 10 minutes more, or until it is golden. Let the shell cool on a rack. Spread the pastry cream in the shell and top it with 4 cups strawberries, hulled.

In a saucepan combine 1 cup water, ¾ cup sugar, and, if desired, ¼ teaspoon each of strawberry extract and red food coloring, bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, stirring, and cook the syrup, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water and simmer the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes. Let the glaze cool until it is lukewarm, spoon it over the strawberries, and chill the pie for 1 hour. Garnish the pie with dollops of sweetened whipped cream and toasted slivered almonds and chill it for 1 hour more.Pastry Cream

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat 3 large egg yolks until they are combined, add 1/3 cup sugar, a little at a time, beating, and beat the mixture until it is light and lemon colored. Add gradually 2 tablespoons each of sifted cornstarch and all-purpose flour and beat the mixture until it is smooth. Add 1 cup scalded milk in a stream, beating, and beat the mixture until it is combined well. Transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan, bring it to a boil, stirring, and simmer it, stirring, for 3 minutes. The mixture will be thick and custardlike. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl and chill it, covered with a buttered round of wax paper, for 1 hour, or until it is chilled well. Makes about l cup.

Squash, Pepper, and Hominy Stew

Servings: 4
Source: The Savory Way. Deborah Madison

Ingredients
1 29-ounce can hominy
¾ pound banana squash, approximately
2 to 3 tablespoons light olive, safflower, or peanut oil
1 medium onion, diced into ½ -inch squares
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
salt
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground red chili, preferably New Mexican
1 tablespoon flour
3 ½ cups water
1 green bell pepper, diced into ½-inch squares
½ cup or more sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions
Drain the hominy, rinse it briefly, and set it aside. Peel the banana squash, cut it into ½ strips, and cut each strip into pieces about ½ inch wide.

Warm the oil in a 12-inch skillet or cast-iron pot and add the onion, squash, and oregano, then season lightly with salt. Cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ground chili, and flour, and stir well to distribute the flour. Add the hominy and the water, lower the heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the green pepper and continue to cook until the squash is completely tender and the pepper is cooked, another 15 minutes or so. Taste for salt. Just before serving, stir in the sour cream or yogurt and garnish with the cilantro.

Vietnamese Braised Chicken with Ginger

Servings: 4-6
Source: Fine Cooking April/May 2003 page 32
recipeNotes: I left Vietnam thirty years ago, but I still cherish its foods. One of my favorites is a braised chicken and ginger dish that transforms a few simple ingredients (chicken thighs, ginger, fish sauce, and sugar) into a succulent, savory dish of sweet and salty chicken laced with fragrant strands of ginger. I use a classic Vietnamese braising method called kho (pronounced kaw) that uses caramelized sugar as the base for the braising liquid and foundation flavor plus fish sauce to complete the sweet-salty profile. You might think at first that chicken and sugar are an odd match, but just think of the sweet and salty play of flavors in a traditional barbecue sauce.

The caramel sauce for kho is easy to make by boiling Chinese brown sugar and water until the liquid is dark brown, almost the color of dark maple syrup. The caramel turns the chicken a rich, deep amber brown and supplies a mellow sweetness to the whole dish. In Vietnam, cooks pay close attention to the color of the kho. If the sugar doesn’t caramelize enough, the meat will pale (“”like a ghost’s eye””) and earn the cook a scolding. If it’s overcooked, the sauce will taste bitter.

The recipe a delicious example of kho, but this braising technique isn’t limited to chicken. The method can be used with almost any type of poultry, meat, or seafood, and the dish can be made spicy or not, depending on the region and on the cook’s taste. The South Vietnamese like to add hot chiles to their seafood kho, while the North Vietnamese prefer it milder and less salty.

When I was growing up in the northern city of Hanoi, meat and seafood were very expensive, so home cooks would use kho to add lots of flavor to a dish and to stretch the family’s food budget. Because meals always included a large pot of soup, plenty of rice, and several vegetable sautees, one chicken chopped into small pieces easily fed ten people.

I like to serve this with jasmine rice and sautéed broccoli. Skin-on chicken is traditional, but you can also use skinless chicken thighs or just spoon off the excess fat from the sauce before serving.

Ingredients
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced into rings (a scant ¼ cup)
1½ ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and cut into matchsticks (about ½ cup)
3 pounds skin-on chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed, (optionally) cut in halves crosswise with a cleaver or by your butcher, and seasoned generously with kosher salt
3 tablespoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
3 scallions (whites and greens), thinly sliced into rings, for garnish

Directions
Have ready 1/2 cup water.

Put white sugar — without the water — in a 8-inch straightsided silver-bottom skillet over medium. Cook until it starts to melt at the edges and turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking, gently swirling the pan, until the bubbling caramel darkens to a reddish brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and, with your face averted to avoid steam and spatters, carefully pour the ½ cup water into the pan. The caramel may harden; if it does, set the pan over medium-high heat and stir until it dissolves. Stir the liquid to blend in the caramel and pour it into a heatproof measuring cup or bowl.

Wipe out the pan and heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the shallot and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re softened and starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Set the skillet back over high heat. Add the seasoned chicken pieces and cook until they lose their raw color on the outside, about 2 minutes per side; the pan will be crowded and the chicken needn’t brown. Stir in the fish sauce, salt, pepper, chile flakes, and reserved caramel. Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a vigorous simmer, turning the chicken every few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (cut into a piece to check), about 20 minutes. Remove chicken, separate fat from liquid, return chicken and liquid to pot. Stir in the reserved ginger and shallot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the scallion rings.

Salad Rolls in Rice Paper

Servings: —

Ingredients
8 large Vietnamese rice papers (banh trang)
½ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
¼ cup matchstick-cut firm tofu (bean curd)
8 tender whole lettuce leaves, or 1½ cups shredded lettuce
1 cup (3 ounces) bean sprouts, blanched for 15 seconds and drained
½ cup (2½ ounces) matchstick-cut celery
½ cup (2¼ ounces) matchstick-cut unpeeled, seeded cucumber
½ cup (2½ ounces) matchstick-cut peeled carrot, blanched in boiling waterfor 1 minute and drained
4 scallion, white and some green, cut in to 3-inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise
1 mild fresh red chili or ¼ red bell pepper, seeded and finely shredded
8 small fresh mint or basil sprigs
8 small coriander (cilantro) sprigs

For the Sauce
½ cup hoisin sauce
¼ to ¾ teaspoon sambal ulek or other chili paste or sauce

Directions
One by one, dip the dried rice papers into a bowl of cold water, leaving immersed long enough to soften and turn white, about 40 seconds, then carefully lift out and spread on a damp cloth.

The tofu can be used uncooked or fried, To fry, heat the oil in a small pan over niedium-l-ilgh heit and fry the tofu, turning as needed, until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove with tongs to paper towels to drain briefly.

Prepare all the vegetables and herbs as directed and arrange in groups on a board with the tofu. Divide the ingredients evenly among the rice-paper rounds, placing them one on top of the other in the center of each round. Wrap carefully first turning in one edge, then the two sides, and finally carefully rolling into a cylinder, taking care not to tear the rice paper.

To make the sauce, in a small bowl stir together the holsin sauce and chill paste until well mixed, adjusting the chili paste to taste. Divide among small sauce dishes, for dipping.

Serve the salad rolls on small plates, with the sauce bowls alongside.

VARIATION: Use your own choice of salad ingredients in the filling, all cut into matchstick pieces. Consider jicama, snow peas, Japanese pear, Japanese white radish, and green bell pepper.

Pesto-Laura

Servings: —

Ingredients
2 Cups loosely packed basil
salt to taste
1 to 2 cloves garlic crushed
2 Tblsp pine nuts
1/2 Cup EVOO
1/2 Cup parm cheese

Directions

Combine basil, salt, garlic, nuts and half of the olive oil in the food processor
process, scraping down sides occassionally and adding the rest of the olive oil, if needed
stir in parm right before serving

Penne with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce (Pasta)

Servings: 2-3
Source: Fine Cooking

Ingredients
One: Sauté
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

Two: Flavor
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (or ½ tsp.dried)
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or ½ tsp. dried)
¼ tsp. dried red chile flakes
¼ cup vodka
1/3 cup homemade or low-salt canned chicken or vegetable broth

Three: Enrich
½ to 2/3 cup heavy cream

Four: Toss
12 oz. dried penne, cooked and drained
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Directions
Do onions first until soft. Add garlic for 30 sec, then tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add spices, then liquids. Do not boil, but reduce liquid slightly to let flavors form a background. Add cream and reduce slightly so that sauce has a nice coating consistency but isn’t thick. No more than a few minutes of cooking. Under reducing will make for a soupy sauce with a raw edge. Over-reducing won’t give you enough sauce to coat the pasta well, plus you may break the cream.Add the cheese and the cooked pasta while the pan is still over the heat. Toss both in the pan and stir to heat pasta through and sauce completely incorporated. Remove pan from heat. Check salt and pepper. Add parsley now. Serve immediately.

Penne with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts (Pasta)

Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 large fennel bulb (sometimes called anise), stalks trimmed flush with bulb and green feathery tops reserved
3 scallions, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, ground fine in an electric coffee/spice grinder
6 flat anchovies, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped fine
1/3 cup dried currants
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound penne or other tubular pasta
½ cup coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a crusty loaf), toasted until golden
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly
fresh lemon juice to taste

Directions
Quarter fennel lengthwise and discard core. In a food processor fitted with a 1-2 mm. slicing blade or with a mandoline or other manual slicer cut fennel lengthwise into very thin slices.

In a large bowl toss together fennel, scallions, garlic, ground fennel seeds, anchovies, currants, oil, pepper, and salt to taste and let stand 30 minutes.

While mixture is standing, in a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and drain in a colander. Immediately add pasta to fennel mixture and toss well. Add bread crumbs, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and toss again.

Serve pasta warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.