Sunday Pasta™: Pasta con le Sarde (Sardines)
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Oy, the things I do for you. I’ve endured Alitalia and traversed an arid, rugged terrain, covered with ancient ruins. I’ve baked in the hot Sicilian sun and burned the bottoms of my feet on the shores of the Ionian Sea. I’ve eaten to the point of discomfort over and over and again, while tasting a variety of unforgiving wines. (We can’t even begin to discuss the pain inflicted on me by my friend, Signor Grappa.) I’ve barely slept (except during the afternoon). I’ve been forced to stand for hours in a hot kitchen, with only a cappuccino and a few cups of espresso to keep me awake. All of this I did for you, so that I could bring you the following recipe for Pasta con le Sarde, directly from its point of origin.
Luckily for us, chef Angelo Pumilia at La Foresteria (part of the Planeta winery in Menfi, Sicily) took pity on me and agreed to teach me his family recipe. It really is for you, as you will come to understand when you make it, taste it, share it with friends, and then take credit for it. You will then thank me. But until then, all I ask is that you think of me. It will be easier knowing that I do not suffer alone.
Ingredients
Instructions
Sardine Prep:
Deboning sardines is no easy task, so you should admire the Sicilian women on the coast near Agrigento that do it everyday at the sardine factory. They have a special word for what they do: Scamozzare (for taking off the head and removing the spine of sardines). I assure you that they will do this faster and more accurately than you ever will. If you can't locate Mediterranean sardines, you will need to use the Atlantic variety. Use them the same day, or freeze them until the day you use them. The Atlantic variety may have larger bones, so you will either need to spend more time deboning them, or you will need to debone them the best you can and then put them into a food processor to ensure the bones are sufficiently miniscule. Ideally, you will use the smaller, Mediterranean fish, debone them, and then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Fry the onion and fennel together with the anchovies in the olive oil, mashing the anchovies into a paste. When the onion is golden, add the sardines and the Marsala wine and cook for a few minutes. Then add the fish stock, into which you have dissolved the saffron. (If you don't have fish stock, you can substitute with water.) Add the raisins, and toasted pine nuts and salt and pepper and cook for about five minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until 2 minutes prior to al dente, drain it, and add it to the sardine sauce. Cook together for an additional minute or so (and add some reserved cooking water if the pasta looks dry). Serve, sprinkled with bread crumbs and almonds, and a garnish of fennel on top.
Check out our wine pairings for Pasta con le Sarde, as well as our About post on the origin behind the dish.
Buon Appetito!
Ed Garrubbo, Editor
