Pasta Con Finocchio E Sarde (Pasta With Fennel and Sardines)
- Ready In:
- 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 (3 3/4 ounce) can sardines, chopped (packed in olive oil)
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1⁄2 lb pasta (linguini is traditional)
- 1 teaspoon salt (for pasta water)
- fennel leaves, chopped
directions
- Fill a large pot with water for the pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- While water is heating -- Heat oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat and add the whole cloves of garlic. When garlic starts to sizzle add the fennel, sauté for a few minutes until they start to cook. Add the raisins and the pine nuts and simmer until the water for the pasta is boiling.
- In the meantime, toast your breadcrumbs in a small heavy bottomed skillet. I usually keep old Italian bread in the freezer and chop it up in a blender when it has thawed. Trust me it is much more flavorful than store bought breadcrumbs. Keep an eye on the breadcrumbs; they usually toast quickly.
- Once the water starts to boil for the pasta add salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. You should add the sardines to the pan with the fennel at this point.
- When the pasta is perfectly al dente, add a cup of the pasta water to the fennel sauce, turn up the heat on the sauce. Drain the pasta. Without shaking all of the water out of the colander pour the pasta into the pan and toss it with the sauce. This allows for the pasta to cook a little longer in the sauce and to absorb the flavor.
- Take the pan off of the heat and toss with the toasted bread crumbs and chopped fennel fronds. Serve immediately.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Glori-B
United States
I'm happy when I don't rub people the wrong way -- I'm a licensed massage therapist! Twenty years ago, at a cross-road in my life, I had a good sit-down talk with me and decided that my two passions in life were people, and helping them feel better ... and cooking. Just five days after that, a tiny ad in the local paper announced that Massage School started on Monday; so on that Monday in Sept. 1990 a new chapter started in my life. It was like learning a foreign language. Do you know where your olecranon process is? I met Mr. Wonderful in February of 1992 and we married 82 days later. (Who? Me impulsive??) He's still my Mr. Wonderful. In regards to cooking, he's my strongest supporter ... and toughest critic. When we first met, it was Mr. Meat and Potatoes meets Little Miss Vegetarian. In an effort to learn how to live together, we developed this plan: Thursdays became experimental food day. I would cook something that neither one of us had ever had before (so there would be no emotional attachment for either of us) and we would critique it. The deal was that if either of us found that meal gag-worthy, we would eat at McDonald's. I am happy to report, we have not darkened their door yet! Out of those experiments came our most favorite recipes. Ours is a blended family and between us we have three sons: an architect in CA, a computer programmer in FL and an Emergency Room MD in TX. We are blessed with three lovely daughters-in-law [the architect just married an interior decorator! A blessing on their heads, Mazel Tov, Mazel Tov!!] and three very hug-able grandchildren (18 y/o boy, 13 y/o girl and 11 y/o girl.) We are both very active in our congregation. If you like, check us out at http://www.kolhamashiach.org. We teach as well as other avenues of ministry (think: sanitation and maintenance!) ... Fun around here includes ministering ;) at the local department stores; cooking; and discussing Torah. It's not unusual to find half a dozen people around our dining room table in a good natured but animated discussion! Of course there's food ... for body and soul!
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