Fennel and Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
• 1 large pepper (red, orange or yellow)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp pepper corn
• ¼ tsp fennel seed
• ¼ tsp dill seed
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ⅛ tsp anise seed
• ⅛ tsp celery seed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ can tomato paste
• 1 c. beef broth
• ½ - 1 c. white wine
• ¼ c. balsamic vinegar
• ¼ c. feta cheese
• 10 olives chopped (optional)
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ - 2 c. pasta of your choice (whole wheat rigatoni or penne works well)

Directions:

1. Finely slice the fennel and the garlic. Using a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder) finely grind the peppercorn, fennel, seed, dill seed, oregano, anise seed, and celery seed. Sauté the fennel and garlic in the oil with the spices until soft, about 20 min.
2. In the meantime, de-seed and then finely slice the pepper. When the fennel is cooked add in the pepper, the broth, the wine, the tomato paste and the balsamic vinegar. Cook until the pepper is soft.
3. Cook the pasta.  
4. Add the pasta to the fennel and pepper mixture, adding in a bit of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Stir in the feta cheese, the tomatoes and the olives.
5. Serve and top with parmesan cheese.