Creamy Pork, Fennel & Thyme Linguine

Before you start cooking, take your steak out of the fridge, open the packet and let it adjust to room temperature

Boil a kettle, then slice your white cup mushrooms finely

Peel and finely chop your shallot[s] and your garlic

Add your fennel seeds to a pestle & mortar and grind (or chop if you don't have a pestle and mortar) to a rough powder

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add your pork loin steak[s] with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 4 min per side or until starting to brown

Once the pork has started to brown, add the sliced white cup mushrooms and cook for 2-3 min further or until caramelised

Tip: Try not to move the mushrooms too much as this will stop them from caramelising!

Meanwhile, add your linguine to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the linguine for 8-10 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain the linguine, reserving a cup of the starchy pasta water and return to the pot with a drizzle of olive oil

Once the pork and mushrooms have browned, add the chopped shallot, garlic and fennel seeds (not a fan of aniseed? Go easy!) and cook for 1-2 min further or until fragrant

Dissolve your chicken stock mix in 50ml [75ml] [100ml] boiled water

Once fragrant, add your Chinese rice wine to the pan and cook for 1 min

Add the chicken stock and cook for 2 min further until the pork is cooked through (no pink meat!)

Meanwhile, roughly strip your thyme leaves from their stems, discard the stems

Once the pork steak[s] are cooked through, remove them from the pan to rest for 2 min

Slice the rested steak[s] into thin strips

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add your crème fraîche and half the thyme leaves (save the rest for garnish!) to the pan

Cook for 1 min further or until warmed through – this is your creamy mushroom sauce