Ingredients

The following ingredients have 2 Servings
  • 1 small corn on the cob
  • 45 ml / 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • ½ courgette / zucchini
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 200 g / 7 oz linguine (GF if needed)
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, finely diced (use 2 if you are a garlic fiend)
  • 1 heaped tbsp white / shiro miso paste*
  • 30-45 ml / 2-3 tbsp almond/soy milk or vegan cream (like Oatly)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice, adjust to taste
  • a good pinch of chilli flakes (I like fine Korean chilli flakes)
  • 2 tbsp toasted hazelnuts**, to serve

Instruction

  • OPTIONAL STEP: Heat up a griddle pan. Brush the corn with a tiny bit (½ tsp will do) of oil and char it on all sides, turning every 3 minutes or so.
  • Cut the green part of your fennel bulb (save the fronds for decoration), slice the bulb really thinly using a mandolin or a knife and then chop the slices into thinner strands roughly. Cut your courgette / zucchini into thin batons / matchsticks. If you skipped step 1, shave the corn kernels off the cob.
  • Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan (I like to use a stainless steel one for this dish).
  • Add raw corn kernels shaved off the cob (unless you are charring it whole) and fennel and cook, stirring frequently. Add zucchini batons after a few minutes as they take less time to cook through. It's fine if the fennel catches a little here and there - caramelisation adds flavour. Once cooked through, season with pepper and salt and set aside.
  • Cook the pasta just short of al dente (the pasta I used takes 10 min to cook al dente, I cooked it for 9 min) in a small amount of water. Save 120 ml / ½ cup of pasta cooking water just before you drain your pasta (it will be rich in starch by that point).
  • Heat up remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan (I simply wash the pan I cooked my fennel in). Once the oil is warm, add finely chopped garlic - it should sizzle gently once it hits the pan. Saute garlic on a low heat, stirring often. Do not let the garlic brown as it will make your pasta taste bitter, you only want it to soften and flavour the oil.
  • While the garlic is frying, dissolve miso paste in 2 tbsp of the almond milk and a splash of pasta cooking water.
  • Once the garlic is softened and fragrant, add in dissolved miso paste and nutritional yeast and a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of salt - stirring everything together so that you get a light emulsion that will coat your pasta. Allow it to bubble for a few seconds, adding a touch more pasta cooking water if the sauce is too thick. I used up just over 60 ml / ¼ cup of pasta cooking water in total.
  • Add drained pasta to the sauce. Coat the pasta in the sauce, season well, including a sprinkle of fine chilli flakes (if using) and then stir cooked veggies through. If you cooked your corn on the grill, shave the kernels off the cob and add them to the pasta.
  • Divide between two bowls, garnish with pan-toasted hazelnuts and fennel fronds.