Creamy fennel penne with gorgonzola and toasted walnuts

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil for the pasta. Wash the fennel bulbs, set aside the green fennel fronds for garnish, cut the bulbs in half, remove the hard core, and slice thinly into strips. Finely chop the garlic cloves, and roughly chop the walnuts.

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the roughly chopped walnuts for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and fragrant, then transfer to a small bowl to cool.

Add the penne to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions indicate. Before draining, ladle out a cup (approx. 150 ml) of the starchy pasta water.