Tagliatelle with fennel, hot smoked salmon & crème fraîche

Quarter the fennel bulbs, then remove the core from each piece and the outer layer of leaves. Finely slice lengthways and toss the fennel into a bowl with the lemon juice. Remove and reserve any little fronds.

Heat the butter and oil in a large wide sauté pan and add the fennel (leave the lemon juice in the bowl) and shallots, then season well. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tinged with gold and soft in texture. Leave enough time to do this – there’s a lot of fennel and it may take 15-20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 4 minutes more.

Cook the tagliatelle according to pack instructions until al dente, then drain, retaining 2 cupfuls (approx 500ml) cooking water. Add most of the reserved water and all the lemon juice to the fennel mixture and whisk it in to make a light sauce.

Add the salmon and some seasoning to the pasta pan, then add the fennel mixture and lemon zest, but don’t overmix. You want everything to be loose. Add the crème fraÎche and drained pasta, then toss. Divide between 6 warmed plates. Scatter over the fennel fronds and serve with salad leaves.