Cut the feathery fronds off the stalks and reserve. Cut the stalks off the fennel bulb then throw the stalks away. Cut the bulb in quarters lengthwise, and then into thin strips. Wash under cold water and then leave in a colander to drain.

Take a large sauté pan with a lid and pour in about half of the olive oil. Add the anchovies and garlic and sauté for a minute or two, while pressing the mixture down with a fork against the bottom of the pan to release the juices. Remove as much of the anchovy and garlic from the oil as you can, and set aside.

Throw the fennel into the pan, a little at a time, so that all the pieces of fennel can absorb
some of the garlicky oil. When all the fennel is in the pan, cook over a lively heat for some 5 minutes, turning the fennel over and over.

Add a generous pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of hot water. Turn down the heat and cover the pan. Cook very slowly until the fennel is very tender, so tender that you can mush it up with a fork – it will take at least half an hour. Keep an eye on the sauce during the cooking; you will have to add a few extra tablespoons of hot water two or three times during the cooking. The fennel should be cooking all the time in quite a bit of liquid.

While the fennel is cooking, put the fennel seeds in a mortar and pound them with a pestle until broken up. Add to the fennel sauce together with a generous grating of pepper. Mix well, taste and adjust the salt.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted boiling water according to the instructions on the pack.

Drain the pasta, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the fennel sauce. Add the reserved chopped garlic and anchovies and the remaining olive oil and mix very well, adding some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.

Spoon the pasta into a warmed bowl and keep it warm while you chop the reserved fennel tops. Sprinkle these over the top of the pasta, throw in the black olives and serve.

PASTA – 11