Pasta Con Le Sarde (Sicilian Pasta With Sardines)

 

 

 

1 handful fresh, wild fennel, roughly chopped (use dill as an alternative)olive oil

1 onion, finely sliced

3 anchovy fillets
175ml white wine

5 fresh sardines, scaled, cleaned and filleted

2tbsp currants

2tbsp pine nuts

2 pinches saffron thread

200g linuine pasta (or spaghetti)

2tbsp breadcrumbs

Bring a large pan of water to boil for your pasta.

 

Meanwhile, heat your olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened but not coloured then stir in the anchovy fillets and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until they have broken down.

 

Add the wine and a couple of spoons of water from the pasta pan, then add the sardines, currants, pine nuts and saffron. Cook gently for 15 minutes.

 

Once your water is boiling add some salt and cook your pasta to al dente.

 

While the pasta is cooking, cook the breadcrumbs in a clean dry pan. Then take of the heat and pour on into a bowl or onto a plate till needed.

 

Once cooked add the pasta to the sardine sauce then add your fennel fonds (or dill).

 

Spoon the pasta into a bowl and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.