When the UPS package arrived I jumped up and scurried to the door. I had been waiting nearly three weeks for my order to finally arrive. Excitedly I told my wife “it’s here” to which she held up one hand and shook it. Asking her what that was all about, she quickly explained “it’s a single jazz hand”.

Clearly, she was not as excited about the jar of fennel pollen that had just been delivered. Undeterred by my wife’s antics, I quickly and eagerly began rifling through a number of ideas I had to put this stuff to good use.

Every chef has a secret, be it an ingredient, a spice combination or a technique they employ that they feel gives their dishes an edge. Something that makes them memorable, that indescribable something that gets people talking, even relishing their dining experience. Fennel pollen is one such ingredient. You’ll likely find it employed at one of Mario Batali’s many establishments, usually as a way to finish a dish like you would with salt or pepper.

Fennel itself is highly flavorful and aromatic with a profile similar to anise. The bulb, foliage and seeds are used in a wide range of culinary applications including salads, pasta dishes and Italian sausage. Fennel pollen itself is like a highly concentrated form of the seed and even a touch sweeter.

After picking up a pound of fresh pasta sheets at my local specialty store, I decided on making a shrimp ravioli to help me showcase my latest ingredient. I kept the filling simple with some ricotta and parmesan reggiano cheese, as well as a bit of rendered pancetta. Fennel pollen is quite powerful and a little bit goes a long way, so I tried my best to layer its use with a little on the shrimp before they were cooked, some in the filling and the balance in the cream sauce I planned to serve with it.

Later that night at the dinner table my wife had a much more conciliatory tone for her snarkiness over my excitement as she readily devoured my latest creation. When she was finished she looked at me, told me how much she enjoyed it and held up both hands and shook them. I’d never had my cooking judged in terms of jazz hands before, but I’ll take whatever I can get.

Shrimp Ravioli

Software

• 1 pound shrimp
• 1/4″ slab of pancetta, finely diced and rendered; reserve half
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel pollen, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 3/4 to 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan reggiano
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley; half reserved
• 4 to 6 sheets fresh pasta
• 1 egg white, whisked
• 1/2 cup corn meal or rice flour

Assemblage

1. Render the finely diced pancetta, remove from pan and discard half of the drippings
2. Toss the peeled and cleaned shrimp in the fennel pollen and ground white pepper and quickly saute in the pan
3. When shrimp are about half way cooked add in the white wine, reduce the heat and cover until completely cooked
4. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature
5. Add cooked shrimp, rendered pancetta, ricotta cheese, parmesan reggiano, parsley and remaining fennel pollen in a bowl and stir to combine to create the filling
6. Lay out a pasta sheet, scoop a small amount of the filling in evenly spaced piles, brush the perimeter of the piles with the egg wash
7. Take a second sheet of pasta and press firmly expelling the air around the filling and sealing around the egg wash
8. Using a ravioli cutter or a pizza wheel divide the filled pasta into individual ravioli, toss in cornmeal or rice flour (to avoid sticking) and allow to dry for 45 minutes to an hour before cooking in salted boiling water or packaging up and freezing (use within 60 days)

Tomato and Fennel Pollen Cream Sauce

Software

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 fennel bulb, julienned
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup chifenade of baby spinach
• heavy cream
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan reggiano
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel pollen
• salt and pepper to taste

Assemblage

1. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan and fortify with a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Toss in the julienned fennel and saute on medium high for three to five minutes, or until fragrant and translucent
3. Add the grape tomatoes and cook for two to three minutes
4. Pour in the heavy cream and parmesan reggiano and bring to low boil, then reduce heat
5. When the cream and cheese have thickened a little season with the fennel pollen, salt and pepper to taste
6. Finish the sauce by stirring in the chifenade of baby spinach
7. Toss in the cooked shrimp ravioli in the cream sauce and sit for a minute for the flavors to mix
8. Garnish with reserved pancetta and parsley