Crab Rigatoni

A pasta dish may initially seem to simple and appeear to be a stereotypically student meal but with this crab sauce it is anything but mundane! Not something you may eat everyday here in Durham, the crab in this dish makes it an appropriate meal to serve up for any special occasion. Plus any left overs from this filling dish can be used for lunch in the Billy B tomorrow! A definite win-win situation.

Ingredients

• Olive Oil


• 2 large fennel bulbs


• 4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced


• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley , stalks finely chopped


• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds


• 2 lemons


• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes


• 250 g cherry tomatoes


• 500g rigatoni


• 250g of brown crabmeat


• 250g of white crabmeat

Method

1. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Peel and finely chop the outer layers of the fennel. Set the leafy tops and inner hearts aside to make a salad later. Add the chopped fennel and garlic to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until soft.


2. Add the parsley stalks, chilli flakes, cinnamon and fennel seeds to the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes. Finely grate in the zest from your 2 lemons (reserve the lemons) and add the tinned tomatoes. Sit the cherry tomatoes, vines and all, on top to poach. Cover, reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions.


3. While the pasta and sauce are cooking away, crack on with the salad. Push the reserved fennel hearts and one of the zested lemons through the thinnest slicing attachment on your food processor – or use a mandolin (or a knife). Tip into a bowl and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the reserved fennel tops and gently toss with your fingers. Put aside until you’re ready to serve.


4. Check the tomato sauce – it should look rich and glossy and the tomatoes should be soft and squashy. Carefully pick out and discard the vine, leaving the tomatoes in the pan. Gently stir in the brown crabmeat and let it heat up.


5. Drain the pasta, reserving a cupful of cooking water, then gently fold it through the ragù with the white crabmeat, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Serve the pasta on a lovely big platter with the fennel salad bang on top so you can mix and toss the two together as you serve. Chop the remaining lemon into wedges and serve on the side for squeezing over. The mix of flavours is a knockout!

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