Ok. I know. Fresh coriander is a typical “love or hate” ingredient. But whole coriander seeds are a complete different story! Today, they add a fresh taste of lemon to my pasta sauce with fennel and leek. A real simple sauce to make for any dinner when short in time!

The taste of coriander seeds can not be compared to fresh coriander! The seeds give a warm, almost a nutty taste with touch of lemon and orange.
You can buy the seeds both whole or grounded, but as always when it comes to dried spices and herbs, it is preferable to buy them whole and then grind as much as you need for that specific occasion. If you have time, it’s even better if you also can roast them in a dry frying pan before using them. That will create an even more intense flavor!
In today’s pasta sauce, the seeds add a wonderful rich flavor of lemon. If you are unsure of the taste, try out the amounts of coriander seeds to use. I really love the lemon flavor in combination with the fresh fennel but that really up to you. You can also choose to grind the seeds before adding them to the sauce, as always you set the rules in your own kitchen!

For the sauce I have used regular vegetables that I always have in my fridge. To make it a bit more filling I’ve added cooked, white beans but that’s up to you.
The rice cream can easily be replaced for any cream you prefer or have easily access to.

Pasta sauce with fennel and whole coriander seeds

Make a dinner for 2 persons
Ingredients
Some oil to add to the frying pan
1 large leek
1 whole fennel
2 cups of rice cream
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (+ possibly more if you want to thin the sauce later)
about 1,5 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Approximately 1,5 teaspoon of whole coriander seeds (see advice above)
Salt and grounded white pepper according to taste
A few drips of tabasco
————–
Binding agent
1 teaspoon of cornstarch plus 3 teaspoon of cold water

Serve with roasted seeds and chopped parsley plus 1 cup of boiled white beans (optional).

How do I it?
1. Cut the leek and rinse it well. Cut in slices.
Rinse the fennel and slice it.
2. Prepare a frying pan with some oil. Add the sliced ​​leek and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or until it softens. Then add the sliced ​​fennel. Cook another minute, the fennel should still have a bite!
3. Add the rice cream, almond milk, lemon juice, whole coriander seeds and a few drips of tabasco.
4. Boil and simmer for about five minutes. Stir every now and then to prevent it from burning.
5. Prepare the binding agent; mix the cornstarch and cold water well in a small bowl.
6. Add about 3-4 teaspoons of the binding agent to the sauce. Let it come to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. If you want the sauce to be thicker, you only add another teaspoon of the binding agent but do it gradually to make you don’t get a pudding rather than a sauce …
7. When you are satisfied with the consistency of the sauce, add the rinsed white beans. Garnish with chopped parsley and roasted seeds.
Eat the sauce with any kind of pasta, I ate it with fresh spiralized pumpkin spaghetti. It’s beautifully crisp and gives a wonderful color to the plate!

This recipe is free from gluten and lactose.