2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 heads fennel, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped walnuts

16 ounces linguine pasta

3 eggs, beaten

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. When butter foams, add fennel; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fennel begins to brown around the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes longer. Add walnuts and cook until walnuts are fragrant; remove from heat.

2. Cook pasta as directed on package. While pasta is cooking, combine eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Drain pasta and return to hot pot. Over low heat, stir in egg mixture, tossing to cook eggs. Add fennel mixture and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

SERVES 6

Fennel has a wonderfully spicy licorice taste. You can find it in the produce aisle of the supermarket. It's delicious with a creamy egg sauce in this pasta recipe.

Working with Fennel

Fennel is a large white bulb with a licorice taste that is good raw or cooked. It can be difficult to clean; cut off the green stalk and the root end. Cut into pieces lengthwise and separate the layers; place in a bowl of water and swish to remove the grit, which will fall to the bottom. When clean, slice or dice as recipe directs.