Shrimp and Fennel Pasta

Fennel is delicious. It is especially good caramelized, but it's also good raw or roasted. I had a few small bulbs, so I decided to make this tasty pasta dish. And really, what could be simpler than pasta?
original recipe via highheelstohotwheels.com

Grocery list items:
Fennel (3 small bulbs)
Celery (2 stalks)
White wine (1 cup, any type)
Frozen shrimp
Lemon juice

The key to this dish is to caramelize the fennel and onions together. The thing about caramelizing is that even though it takes a bit longer to do, you don't have to actually stand there and watch it. Put your veggies in the pan and then walk away. Make another part of the recipe while you wait, or go do something else. I can do a good amount of lesson planning or textbook reading while my onions sit and get nice and golden brown.

Shrimp and Fennel Pasta:
2 tbsp olive oil
Fennel (3 small bulbs, sliced)
1 Onion (sliced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
garlic (3 cloves)
salt
pepper
White wine (1 cup)
Lemon juice (2 tbsp)
Shrimp (defrosted, peeled)
Pasta (1 lb, any shape)

Swirl olive oil around the pan, and add fennel, onion, and celery. Sauté for a bit, to get everything nice and coated in the oil. Then don't touch it for about 10-15 min. Let the vegetables caramelize in the pan, turning translucent and soft.

While the vegetables cook, defrost and shell the shrimp (if you haven't already). Also, start a pot of water boiling for your pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. When the onions and fennel are soft and turning brown, add chopped garlic. Sauté an additional 5 min, then add wine, lemon juice, and shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are pink and opaque, and firm, and the wine has reduced a bit.

Add salt and pepper (less salt if you used cooking wine instead of regular wine) and toss to season evenly. Add shrimp and vegetable mixture to the pasta, and serve with grated parmesan cheese, if desired. I pretty much always desire parmesan cheese.

Serves four. Or three very very hungry people. Feel free to customize this recipe - the original recipe called for leeks and scallions, which I didn't have. I also added the celery because I had it around the house, so you could omit it if you want. I also used white pepper, because my dad uses it a lot when he's making shrimp pasta, but black pepper would be fine. This could be good with some cayenne too, to make it a little spicy!