Tuna and fennel pasta bake

Method
Prep:20min  ›  Cook:45min  ›  Ready in:1hr5min 

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C fan / Gas 6.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion. Crush the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar. Grate the cheese. Drain the tuna and flake the chunks.
3. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 10 minutes until al dente. Drain and tip into a bowl.
4. Whilst the pasta is cooking, boil some water in a small saucepan and hard boil the eggs - about 5 minutes. Drain and cool in cold water. When cool enough to handle, shell and quarter the eggs and add to the bowl with the cooked pasta.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the ground fennel seeds for the last minute of cooking to release their flavours and aroma. Add to the pasta in the bowl along with the flaked tuna.
6. Mix the cornflour with about 1 tablespoon of the milk. Heat the remaining milk in a small pan until boiling point. Remove from the heat, stir in the cornflour mixture and return to a lower heat, stirring continuously until thickened. Stir in the cheese until melted and add the sauce to the other ingredients in the pasta bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together until well combined and tip into a baking dish, level the surface.
7. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and bubbling. Serve at once.