With love, From Scratch

Ingredients

1 packet of conchiglie pasta
500g lamb mince
1 onion, diced
3-6 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 tbsp fennel seeds
Half a bottle of white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
150g tomato paste
Chilli flakes
1 handful parmesan, grated
1 Dollop of crème fraîche
1 handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Directions 

1. In a frying pan over medium heat, add a good glug of olive oil. Once shimmery, add your fennel seeds. Fry these until very fragrant, between two and five minutes. 
2. Add the lamb, breaking it up while it cooks. You want the chunks of lamb to be relatively small, so consistently take a wooden spoon to it while it fries. Once it’s all broken up, let it sit for a few minutes between mixing it so that parts of the lamb get golden, almost crispy. 
3. Add the onion and garlic to the lamb and stir until they’ve softened. 
4. Add the white wine and keep it on the heat until it is reduced, not at a boil, but at a slow simmer. 
5. Once reduced, add the tomato paste, mixing well until it completely coats the lamb. Season with salt, pepper, and chilli flakes, then add a very generous dollop of crème fraîche. Combine well and leave on low heat. 
6. Make your pasta al dente. Once it’s done, bring the heat on the lamb back up to medium and add 2-3 ladles of pasta water. Keep some reserved just in case you need more later. 
7. Add the pasta to the pan and stir until fully coated. Add parmesan, parsley, and remaining pasta water. 
8. Plate, topping with more parmesan, pepper, chilli flakes, and parsley. 
9. Curl up on the couch and tuck in.