Pappardelle with crab, fennel and tomatoes, by Theo Randall

This recipe for pappardelle with crab, fennel and tomatoes was taken from Theo Randall's new book, Pasta.

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four main course or six starter portions)• 2tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 400g ripe plum tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 300g fresh pappardelle
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 300g fresh crab meat
• 2tbs flat leaf parsley, chopped
• A squeeze of lemon (optional)
• Sea salt and black pepper

The inspiration for this dish comes from southern Italy, although they would probably use linguine there. I chose pappardelle because the crab, tomato and fennel sit lightly on it, making a lovely summer dish - but go for linguine if you prefer.
METHOD

Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan, add half the garlic and cook until softenend. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook over a high heat for 5-7 minutes, until the sauce has become thicker and the flavour is concentrated. Season and put to one side.

Add the fennel and pappardelle to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, add the remaining garlic, plus the green chilli and the crab and cook for two minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and chopped parsley.

Drain the pappardelle and fennel and add them to the sauce. Toss thoroughly and cook for two minutes, then serve in shallow bowls, with black pepper and maybe a squeeze of lemon.