Tagliatelle is a rich, but light, egg pasta that perfectly suits simple sauces and easily prepared vegetables. Here we use a very pretty, bright green dill pesto that combines the flavors of Havarti cheese, Dijon mustard, and fennel seeds, and we top the pasta with caramelized and crunchy roasted fresh fennel. Quickly sautéed zucchini rounds are also a good topping for the pasta and pesto.
Yields 1½ cups pesto
Serves 4
Time: 50 minutes
½ teaspoon coarse salt
2 fennel bulbs, cut in half end to end and then into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2 cups packed chopped fresh dill
½ cup packed chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
⅓ cup olive or walnut oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup grated Havarti cheese, plus more for garnish
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound tagliatelle pasta
Make the fennel: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Sprinkle the lined baking sheet with the coarse salt, arrange the fennel slices on top, and drizzle on the oil. Roast for about 30 minutes, turning the fennel over after about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Make the pesto and pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, whirl the dill, parsley, garlic, and ground fennel seeds for about 5 seconds. Mix together the oil and lemon juice and, with the food processor running, add it in a steady stream. Turn off the machine and add the grated cheese, mustard, and salt. Whirl for a few seconds until everything is blended. You should have a beautiful bright green paste. Set the pesto aside.
When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and divide it among four bowls. Top each serving with some pesto and roasted fennel. Garnish with additional grated Havarti.
For a vegan dish, substitute ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts for the Havarti cheese in the pesto. And it’s nice to use walnut oil in place of olive oil. Garnish with toasted walnuts, if you don’t think that’s overkill.
Serve with Wax Bean and Radish Salad with Buttermilk Dressing or Lemony Roasted Beets.