Sicilian Vegetables & Fennel

Ingredients

2 ¼ lbs.	Thick sliced bacon, cut in ¼
3 lbs.	Trimmed fennel, cut into ¼
4 ozs.	Chopped garlic
1 ½ qts.	Chicken broth
3 Tbs.	Dried basil
24 lbs.	FLAV-R-PAC® Grande Classics® Sicilian Vegetable
12 ozs.	Pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
19 lbs.	Cooked penne pasta (14 lbs. dry) for entree s
1 ½ Tbs.	Salt
2 Tbsl	Pepper

Directions

1. In medium saucepan, cook bacon about 10 minutes until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, and pour off all but 6 ounces of the bacon fat.
2. Return bacon fat to pan; heat to medium-high; add fennel and cook for 10 minutes allowing fennel to sear; stir occasionally. Add garlic during last 2 minutes of cooking. Add broth and basil; bring to a simmer while scraping down pan to deglaze; cook 5 minutes.
3. Add 1 gallon of water to each of 3 large stockpots, and divide the FLAV-R-PAC Grande Classics Sicilian Blend Vegetables among pots. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove lid, stir to separate vegetables and drain immediately. Divide vegetables into 3 hotel pans or large containers.
4. FOR VOLUME SIDE DISH SERVING: Divide fennel mixture and bacon among vegetable pans, toss vegetables to coat and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the top of each pan with pine nuts. FOR VOLUME ENTREE SERVING: Half fill hotel pans with pasta, top with fennelvegetable Mixture and sprinkle with pine nuts. FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVICE: Serve 5 ounces warm pasta in a shallow bowl; top with 8 ounces fennel Vegetables and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon pine nuts.

Yield:100 (4 ounce) Side Servings or 50 (14 ounce)