Pears, fennel and cream sauce in pasta shells

Pasta and macaroni Italian cuisine

This recipe came about because we love pears, fennel, hazelnuts, bacon and cream sauce. So I just kept messing around with ingredients until we had a winner. To justify the cream (hey, I didn't add butter too!) I read the health benefits of pears, fennel and hazlenuts out loud to the diners before eating and then we don't have ice cream for dessert. This is a forgiving recipe because I need one when entertaining. Hey, who can go wrong with cream and bacon ! Feel free to add whatever vegetables you want into the shells if fennel isn't your thing. Sauteed arugula or spinach would be great. I use Pecorino Romano and Parmesan because in my view it doesn't overpower the pears, but use whatever you like. My daughter's boyfriend the Italian Chef gave me the tip of adding enough pasta water to the pan the shells will be baked in to barely cover the bottom. This had made a difference - no more stuck shells. Enjoy!