Family Recipe: Pasta Con Le Sarde
My sister was recently over and mentioned that she was going to be making this dish for dinner the next night. I was so excited because I had been planning to post this recipe. We just have sister timing like that, it must be ESPN or something. She said she's been using the same recipe that I emailed her several years ago after our trip to Italy, where we first tried pasta con le sarde. I was interested to see the recipe I had created to compare it to this one.
The recipe I had sent her was pretty similar, but in this one, I add a splash of vermouth to deglaze the pan (which we both swigged straight out of the bottle as we discussed this since neither of us really knew what it exactly tasted like on its own). I also happened to use bowtie pasta since I didn't have any bucatini on hand, but bucatini is really the best suited pasta for this if you can find it.
We also discussed the use of fresh versus canned tomatoes. While I'm a firm believer in the beauty of using fresh ingredients rather than canned, let's all face the reality that it's winter in Minnesota and fresh produce is not so easy to come by. Luckily, I am in love with canned cherry tomatoes that I've mentioned in previous posts. So if you're looking for a use for those beautiful homegrown summer tomatoes, obviously use them. If it's the dead of winter (or spring for that matter), head to Whole Foods and pick up some canned cherry tomatoes. They're rich and sweet, so full of flavor...just like this dish!
Pasta Con Le Sarde
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Ingedients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, white bulb diced, fronds saved for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
vermouth or wine, to deglaze pan
1 15-oz. can cherry tomtaoes (I get these at Whole Foods), or 4-5 fresh roma tomatoes if in season
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
handful of raisins
1 can sardine files in oil, chopped
1/2 lb. pasta of your choice (I used farfalle, or bowties, but bucatini would be ideal)
1 tbsp. butter
shaved Parmesan, for topping
Method:
1. In a large saute pan with higher edges, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once simmering, add onion and fennel bulb. Saute for about 7-10 minutes. Then add minced garlic and tomato paste. Saute for about a minute more. Deglaze the hot pan with the swee vermouth and stir.
2. Add cherry tomatoes to the pan, along with vinegar, honey and a handful of raisins. Let simmer and in the meantime, start the pasta, cooking according to package instructions. Add chopped sardine filets to the pan with the tomatoes, stir and continue to simmer over low heat.
3. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain, reserving pasta liquid and add pasta to pan with tomato sauce, along with a little bit of the cooking water. Add butter and stir until pasta is well-coated and shimmery. Serve with shaved Parmesan and fennel fronds as garnish.
