Sicilian Pasta With Sardines Recipes

SICILIAN-STYLE PASTA WITH SARDINES

Steps:

• Finely chop fennel bulb. Combine saffron, raisins, and wine in a bowl.
• Cook onion, fennel bulb, and seeds in oil with salt to taste in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fennel is tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add wine mixture and half of sardines, breaking sardines up with a fork, and simmer 1 minute.
• While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain in a colander.
• Toss hot pasta in a bowl with fennel sauce, remaining sardines, fennel fronds, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Add bread crumbs and toss again.

SICILIAN BUCATINI WITH SARDINES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking water, then drain. Reserve the pot.
• Meanwhile, put the raisins in a small bowl and add hot tap water to just cover; set aside. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil with the breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds; toast in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Wipe out the pasta pot and heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fennel bulb and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the pine nuts, turmeric and remaining 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and cook, stirring, until the oil is golden and the nuts and spices are toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the raisins and soaking water and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water; remove from the heat.
• Add the pasta, sardines and fennel fronds to the pot. Return to medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until coated, adding the remaining cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with the toasted breadcrumbs.

SICILIAN PASTA WITH SARDINES

Steps:

• Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
• Open the sardines, drain the olive oil into a frying pan, and set the sardines aside.
• Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add the breadcrumbs (see below), season lightly with salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are lightly toasted and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the crumbs to a plate and set aside.
• Return the pan to the stove and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and lightly caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the sardines, break them apart gently and cook just long enough to heat through, 2 minutes.
• Stir in the lemon zest, parsley, crushed red pepper, and capers. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain and return to the pan.
• Add the sardine mixture along with half of the reserved cooking liquid to the pasta. Toss to combine, adjust the seasoning and add a little more liquid if needed.
• Add the garlic-toasted breadcrumbs, toss again and serve immediately.
• Note: This recipe can easily be doubled.

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• To a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, and chopped garlic. When the garlic speaks by sizzling in oil add bread crumbs. Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color. Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each. Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve.
• Return skillet to heat and add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan. Add sardines and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute over medium heat 2 or 3 minutes. Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines. Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture. Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

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.

PASTA WITH SARDINE SAUCE (PASTA CON SARDINE SICILIANO)

Steps:

• Cut fish into 1" pieces.
• Saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden.
• Add sardines and continue to saute and stir until almost a paste (approximately 7 minutes).
• Add tomato paste and 3 to 5 tomato paste cans of water to the fish and bring to boil.
• Add herbs (leaves only)and raisins.
• Reduce heat, add salt and pepper; simmer until thick.
• Place cold water into large pot and start to the boil.
• Boil pasta until al dente, drain and toss with sauce.
• Serve with grated cheese on the side.

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• In a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and chopped garlic.
• When the garlic begins to sizzle in oil add bread crumbs.
• Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color.
• Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each.
• Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve.
• Return skillet to heat and 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
• Add sardine and red pepper flakes to pan and saute over medium heat 2-3 minutes.
• Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines.
• Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture.
• Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

PASTA CON SARDE (PASTA WITH SARDINES)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente, or 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, cover and keep warm.
• Place another 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook just until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sardines, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. If necessary to give the mixture a crumbly texture, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir in the parsley and pepper, and remove from the heat. If desired, serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH SARDINES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• In a small skillet, toast bread crumbs in 2 tablespoons olive oil until golden. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Set aside.
• Simmer the fennel fronds in a large pot of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and spread out on a platter to cool. Do not discard cooking water. When fronds are cool, chop finely with a large knife (or pulse in a food processor with a little of the cooking water).
• Put raisins and currants in a bowl and cover with the white wine and 1/2 cup hot fennel-cooking water. Add crumbled saffron and let ingredients steep together for 10 minutes.
• In a large skillet, stew the onions and diced fennel in 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add anchovies, ground fennel and coriander seeds, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in reserved fennel fronds. Add the raisin mixture and its liquid and bring to a simmer.
• Season the fresh sardine fillets with salt and pepper and lay them on top of the onion mixture. Put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat for about 5 minutes, so sardines cook through and are just done. Stir to distribute chunks of fish throughout mixture. (If using canned sardines, skip this step and simply stir them in.)
• Boil the bucatini in the fennel cooking water (add more water to the pot if necessary). Cook until noodles are on the firm side of al dente, then drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add pasta to pan with onion-sardine mixture, sprinkle pasta lightly with salt and gently toss together, adding a little pasta water to keep everything well moistened. Taste and correct seasoning; it should be well seasoned.
• Transfer to a large platter or wide pasta bowl. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, pine nuts and parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges. Add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

IANA'S PASTA CON LE SARDE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel bulb, fronds, and onion. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add sardines with oil; stir until crumbled. Stir in raisins, pine nuts, basil, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes; cook until toasted. Pour in tomatoes. Let sauce simmer.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in another pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bread crumbs and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Drain pasta; serve topped with the sauce, seasoned bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH SARDINES, BREAD CRUMBS AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put half the oil (2 tablespoons) in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, less than 5 minutes, and then remove. Add the remaining oil and the onion to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just tender; drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Turn the heat under the onions to medium-high and add the lemon zest, capers and sardines; cook, stirring occasionally, until just heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Add the pasta to the sardine mixture and toss well to combine. Add the parsley, most of the bread crumbs and some reserved water, if necessary, to moisten. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnishing with more parsley and bread crumbs.