… with a nod to a classic comedy movie
It’s difficult for those of us of a certain age to read “linguine” and not chuckle, remembering the domestic spat between Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon in The Odd Couple (1968)
Jack played a very tidy, detail-loving introvert and Walter played the an easy-going but chaotic bon viveur, (the movie is available on the obvious subscription services, a classic)
I’ve written two versions of this linguine recipe, one how Jack would write it and one how Walter would, if he could be bothered!
Jack’s careful version – recipe 1
55g of butter
150g fennel bulb, diced
2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
250g fresh linguine
1 of Hammond’s Fennel, Orange and Garlic salaminis, chopped or crumbled
Grated zest and juice of ½ a lemon
60g of grated Parmesan
In a large saucepan of properly salted water (for every 500g of pasta, put in no less than 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, more if the sauce is very mild and undersalted)
Add the salt when the water comes to a boil. Wait until the water returns to a full, rolling boil before putting in the pasta
In a large frying pan melt 15g of the butter over a medium-high heat, add the diced fennel and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fennel seeds and garlic, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 1 minute
Cook the linguine in the boiling water until it is just al dente, if fresh, that is 3-4 minutes, if not then follow packet instructions. When just al dente, drain, reserve 4 ladles full of hot pasta water. 20g of butter stirred in will keep it silky and receptive to the sauce
In the meantime, use a sharp knife to break down the salami and pinch the meat into broad-bean sized pieces, then add to the pan to let the fat in the salami melt into the fennel, for two minutes.
Do not brown the meat, that will spoil the delicacy of the dish. Add the lemon zest and the remaining butter, let it melt, now is the time to drain the pasta, now add 2 ladle-fuls of reserved pasta water.
Shake the pan to emulsify the sauce , then add another ladle-ful of pasta water and 40g of the Parmesan. Let this melt before shaking the pan again to emulsify
Grind plenty of black pepper over the sausage and fennel, then add the pasta to the pan, with one more ladle of pasta water. Shake the pan well to ensure the linguine are coated and shiny with the buttery sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and divide between two plates adding the remaining Parmesan in sprinkles
Walter’s relaxed version – recipe 2
Big knob of butter
About a handful of diced fennel
4 big pinches of fennel seeds
Some chopped garlic, enough for 2
Two handfuls of fresh linguine or 1 handful dried
1 of Hammond’s Fennel, Orange and Garlic salaminis, chopped or crumbled
Grated zest and lemon juice from half a lemon, save the other zest for a Martini
Grated Parmesan how you like it, about two palmfuls of grated or two matchboxes of whole
Get the pasta on and save the water when you drain in. Melt some butter over the cooked linguine because that will help the sauce to stick to it
Make the Martini
Cook the garlic and fennel in some butter, and then add the fennel seeds, warm them through, then add the salami, let it melt a bit, add the lemon zest, more butter, warm through and use the hot pasta water to make a creamy sauce, then add about ⅔ of the Parmesan, melt it a bit and add more water as you need, stir it and shake it all up to make the sauce creamy
Put the linguine in the pan, shake it up, add black pepper and share between two plates, rest of the Parmesan goes on top.
Drink the Martini
If you enjoyed this, please share with your friends and family through the links below, thank you
And if not let me know and I’ll try harder!