Pasta Con Le Sarde
This is about as Sicilian as it gets. The sardines, raisins and pine nuts make this dish uniquely Southern and 100% delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh sardines (if you can't find fresh, you can use jarred or canned just make sure they are high quality)
- Olive oil
- 2 anchovies, chopped
- 1 white cooking onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- The stalks and fronds of one fennel bulb, cleaned and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, I prefer Italian seasoned
Directions
Clean the sardines and debone them. I find it easiest to butterfly them and cook them on an oiled grill pan, a few minutes per side. Once cooked, flake apart using two forks and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and get ready to cook the pasta to al dente perfection.
Meanwhile, saute the chopped anchovies in a large frying pan in a little olive oil. Add the chopped onions and cook another few minutes. The anchovies will pretty much melt into the oil. Add the garlic and the fennel fronds and cook another few minutes. Add the wine and the sardines and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a lightly oiled saute pan, toast the breadcrumbs, stirring frequently.
To the sardine pan, add the toasted pine nuts and raisins and then add the pasta and thoroughly toss. Plate the pasta and sprinkle all over with toasted bread crumbs.
This photo is from Osteria Ballaro in Palermo, Sicily
When we visited Sicily last, our cousin Agata made this dish for us with fresh sardines:
