Chef John's Pasta con le Sarde recipe

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Ingredients

¾ cup dry bread crumbs
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pinch saffron
¼ cup white wine
½ pound bucatini pasta
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced fennel bulb
salt to taste
¼ cup golden raisins
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 anchovy fillet
2 (4 ounce) cans sardines packed in oil, drained and crumbled
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1 pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, or more to taste

Nutrition Info

708.8 calories
carbohydrate: 72.2 g
cholesterol: 81.4 mg
fat: 33.3 g
fiber: 4.6 g
protein: 27.5 g
saturatedFat: 4.8 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 531.8 mg
sugar: 8.9 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. 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.

  2. Grind saffron threads with a mortar and pestle, pour white wine into mortar and stir to combine.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Stir raisins, garlic, and anchovy fillet into onion mixture, cook and stir until heated through, about 1 minute.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

Recipe Yield

4 servings

Recipe Note

I'm no survivalist, but like any responsible chef I like to have a few cans of sardines stocked away, just in case. If times ever get tough, I could survive for hours, maybe days on them;but since things are going pretty well, I decided to dust off a can, and show you my version of Sicily's famous pasta con le sarde. You can substitute thick spaghetti for the bucatini, if desired.

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