Salmon and Fennel Pasta

This is a quick Saturday lunch dish that was composed from the ingredients already in the fridge. I was out with friends on a little Whisky tasting adventure an hour away from here and on the way back we decided to cook a little lunch. The Whiskey was great and just a couple of sips, so nobody felt any alcohol problems. I came up with the pasta recipe easily and added just a few things during cooking.

When you cook together with a friend in the kitchen, it is nice and you work on different components a lot faster then you do it alone.
I gave my friend the mandoline grater and she grated 2 bulbs of fennel, then she cut all the spring onions and the clove of garlic and deseeded the homegrown chili. This one, we discovered, tasted more like a bell pepper with no kick at all.
While she worked I prepared the tomato salad and made the dressing and set the table.
The Italian pasta was cooked in a lot of veg stock which went partly into the pasta sauce.
Then I showed here how easy it is to skin a salmon fillet. You just need a little trick and a sharp and flexible long knife.

recipe for 3:
250 g Maccheroni al ferretto pasta
2 veg stock cubes
300 g salmon fillet
2 bulbs of fennel
2 spring onions
1 clove of garlic
1 red mild chili
150 ml veg stock from the pasta water
60 ml white wine
80 ml cream
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
a pinch of annato seed powder or curcuma to colour the sauce
cayenne pepper

Cook the pasta in the veg stock.
Start with onion, garlic and chili and 2 minutes later add the fennel. It will take a good 10 minutes to cook. Season it and add veg stock and wine and cook some more.
Add the cream and set the cubed pieces of salmon on top- Close the lid and let it simmer until the salmon is done. That takes about 3 - 4 minutes.
Drain the pasta and top with the sauce and some chopped fennel fonds.
Serve with some tomato salad as a side dish.