Agnello Alla Sarda Recipes

PASTA CON LE SARDE (SICILIAN PASTA WITH SARDINES) RECIPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Mince half the fennel fronds and reserve the other half whole.
• Add pine nuts and sardines and cook, stirring, until sardines are just barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving at least 1 cup pasta cooking water.
• Transfer pasta to skillet along with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring and tossing, until pasta is well coated in sauce and any excess liquid has cooked off. Drizzle on some fresh olive oil (don't be shy) along with the minced fennel fronds, and toss well. Season with salt. Add a very small handful of bread crumbs and toss once more.
• If at any point the pasta becomes too dry, add additional pasta cooking water in 1/4-cup increments, and toss to loosen and moisten (you can also drizzle on more olive oil as desired). The noodles should be slick and glossy with a sheen of sauce, but not sitting in a watery puddle.

CHEF JOHN'S PASTA CON LE SARDE

Steps:

• Cook and stir bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until bread crumbs are crispy and toasted, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer breadcrumbs to a bowl to cool.
• Grind saffron threads with a mortar and pestle; pour white wine into mortar and stir to combine.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bucatini in boiling water, stirring occasionally until almost cooked through but firm to the bite, 10 to 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
• Heat remaining olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and fennel with a pinch of salt in hot oil until onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
• Stir raisins, garlic, and anchovy fillet into onion mixture; cook and stir until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Pour saffron-wine into skillet; cook until wine is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Pour 1 ladleful reserved pasta water into skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir pine nuts and red pepper flakes into sauce; simmer until flavors combine and sauce is reduced, about 5 minutes.
• Stir bucatini and sardines into wine mixture; increase heat to high, and cook, stirring frequently and adding more reserved pasta water as necessary, until sauce and pasta are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and top with fennel fronds and toasted bread crumbs.

AGNELLO ALLA SARDA

Steps:

• Soak the artichokes in a bowl of cold water with the lemon, cut in half and squeezed, for 1/2 hour. Clean the artichokes (see Note, below) and cut them into eighths. Let the artichokes rest in the acidulated water until needed.
• Coarsely chop parsley and finely chop garlic on a board. Heat the oil in a medium-sized casserole over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add half of the parsley and half of the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the meat and sauté over higher heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover casserole and cook for about 30 minutes, adding some broth as needed. By that time the lamb should be almost cooked.
• Drain artichokes and add them to the casserole, over the lamb, without mixing. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cover again and cook for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring to a boil 1 cup of cold water, add the saffron and be sure the saffron is completely dissolved. Mix the lamb and artichokes, add the water with the saffron, cover again and cook until the artichokes are almost completely cooked, about 10 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer lamb and artichokes to a serving dish. Cover dish to keep food warm. Reduce the sauce in the casserole to a quite thick consistency. If a lot of fat has risen to the top, remove it. Return meat and artichokes to the casserole, add the remaining parsley and garlic and mix very well. Transfer contents of casserole to a large serving platter and serve hot.
• NOTE: To clean artichokes, trim off all of the darker outer ring of the stem. The inner core is the best part because it has the real taste of the artichoke. Remove as many rows of the outer leaves as necessary to arrive at those tender inner rows where you can clearly see the separation between the green at the top and the light yellow at the bottom. Then remove the top green part. Press your thumb on the bottom of each leaf, the white part, to hold it in place, and with the other hand, tear off the top green part. As each new row is uncovered the tender yellow part of the leaves will be bigger.
• When you reach the rows in which only the very tips of the leaves are green, cut off all the tips together with a knife.
• It is best to cut the artichoke into quarters lengthwise, in order to remove the choke. Draw the tip of the knife blade across just below the choke to draw it out.
• Outside of Italy I find the larger artichokes produce a result closer to the Italian ones.

RAGù DI AGNELLO (LAMB)

Steps:

• Mince finely together the onion, carrot, celery, marjoram, sage, and rosemary needles (in the food processor if desired) and put in a medium saucepan with the oil. Cook over low heat until the vegetables just turn pale gold, about 8 minutes.
• Add the meat and brown gently, stirring.
• Raise the heat and add the wine. Let it bubble until you can no longer smell any alcohol, about 2 minutes.
• Add the drained tomatoes, the chile, and 1 level teaspoon salt. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for about an hour, stirring occasionally. You'll know the sauce is done when it has visibly thickened and the fat has separated and bubbles on the surface.
• Make-ahead note: The sauce may be made ahead up to this point and refrigerated until the next day. After some hours of chilling, the fat will come to the surface and can be removed very easily.
• Bring 5 quarts (5 liters) of water to a boil in an 8-quart (8-liter) pot over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons kosher salt, then add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
• Warm a serving bowl or platter in a low oven. If the oven is not practical, warm the bowl just before use with hot water, even a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.
• Drain and transfer the pasta to the heated serving bowl. Toss the pasta first with the cheese and then with the sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of parsley and serve immediately.