Pasta (Bucatini) Con Le Sarde (Sardines)

Name: Pasta (Bucatini) Con Le Sarde (Sardines)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/4 cup raisins; 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1/2 tablespoon butter; 1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 small garlic clove, minced; 1 lb fennel, bulb finely chopped, fronds chopped and reserved; 1/2 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed; salt; 1 lb fresh sardine (trimmed and deboned, yielding 1 and 1/4 lbs); 1/2 lb pasta (bucatini); 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted; 1/8 cup capers, rinsed; fresh ground black pepper

Submitted by Phil Franco

"This is a simple, but classic, Sicilian pasta that has Arabic overtones. The sauce is made with fennel, raisins, sardines and pine nuts. It is usually spooned over a broad or tubular pasta and then topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs. While I have chosen a simple toss and top application, some cooks prefer to create multiple layers using these ingredients. The breadcrumbs in the dish are used in place of cheese and at one time they actually served that function for the poor. They also have a symbolic importance for those who observe St. Joseph's Day. As you know, Joseph was a carpenter and the breadcrumbs that crown this dish are used because they resemble the sawdust that would be found on the floor of a carpenter's workshop. Pasta con sarde is also known as St. Joseph's pasta, and in those communities where his feast day is still celebrated, you'll find this pasta on family tables, as well as on symbolic altars set up to feed the poor."

Download

Ready In:: 1hr
Ingredients:: 16
Serves:: 2

ingredients

¹⁄₄ cup raisins
¹⁄₈ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¹⁄₄ cup dry white wine
¹⁄₂ tablespoon butter
¹⁄₄ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
¹⁄₄ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¹⁄₂ medium onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 lb fennel, bulb finely chopped, fronds chopped and reserved
¹⁄₂ tablespoon fennel seed, crushed
salt
1 lb fresh sardine (trimmed and deboned, yielding 1 and 1/4 lbs)
¹⁄₂ lb pasta (bucatini)
¹⁄₄ cup pine nuts, toasted
¹⁄₈ cup capers, rinsed
fresh ground black pepper

directions

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Combine the raisins, red-pepper flakes and wine in a bowl; set aside.
In a small saute pan, melt the butter.
Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until golden brown.
Transfer to a bowl, stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and set aside.
In a heavy skillet, heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium-low heat.
When hot, add the onion, garlic, fennel bulb and fennel seeds.
Season with salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender, about 25 minutes.
Add the wine mixture and the sardines, breaking them into pieces with a fork.
Bring to a boil and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Add enough salt to the boiling water so that it tastes salty.
Boil the bucatini until 'al dente', 6 to 8 minutes; strain.
Return the pasta to the pot and set over low heat.
Fold in the fennel-sardine mixture.
Toss in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil.
Add 3/4 of the fennel fronds, the pine nuts, the capers and a quarter of the bread crumbs.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide pasta among plates and sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs and fennel fronds over each.
Serve immediately. Serves 2.
That's it!

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

I really want to try this recipe from scratch one day. My grandmother, born in Louisiana of Sicilian parents, would celebrate St. Joseph's Day by cooking this dish. She never wrote down any recipies, so I don't have it, but am happy to find it here! I have used the canned Con Sarde and added tomato paste and water to it and then served it over spaghetti. I learned of the canned product and was so happy to, after many years, experience the taste of this wonderful dish!

Toni007

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Phil Franco

holland, PA

Hi!! <table> <tr><td></table> <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Phil%20Franco.jpg'></td><td> Updated January, 2008. I worked for the Navy for 38 years prior to my present job as a research engineer with Penn State University. I'm originally from Long Island. I met my wife, Grace Mastellone, when I was 16 and she was 13. We've been married since 1963 and we've been living in Pennsylvania since 1974. We have two married sons and 5 grand children. We enjoy eating out at Italian restaurants as well as Applebees.</td></tr></table> <embed type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent src=http://w141.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/philfranco/1166725960.pbw height=480 width=600> VENICE <embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/lTOy32KzG0E type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent width=525 height=450></embed> We have two sons, Philip and Joseph. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/boysnew.jpg'> Our son Joe is a professional body builder. His website is <a href=http://www.Fitfranco.com>www.FitFranco.com</a> <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Joe.jpg'> <embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/curTOTUJVOs&rel=1 type=application/x-shockwave-flash wmode=transparent width=425 height=355></embed> More Body Building pictures of <a href=http://franco_j.tripod.com/2006joecontest.html>Joe</a>Joe won this <a href=http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2006ocbgoldtri.htm>contest</a> Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs - the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss. This <a href=http://www.glycemicindex.com/>free GI database</a> can be used to find the GI value of your favorite carbohydrate foods that have been tested over the past 25 years from all around the world. You can also check the glycemic load (GL) and grams of carbohydrate per serving. We also have 5 grandchildren. A picture of Phil and Tricia's three boys: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/grandsonsnew.jpg'> Philip at a Giants game: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Phil.jpg'> Lucas and Angelina were 3 in March of 2006. This is their picture: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/cousinsnew.jpg'> Anthony in is the youngest of the grandkids. He was born on 1-11-06. This is his picture: <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Anthonynew.jpg'> Anthony's Baptism: A picture of my Mom, my wife Grace, Anthony and my sister, Marianne. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/baptismnew.jpg'> This is a picture of Mom and Pop. He died in December of 2005 at the age of 94. We miss him dearly. He also liked to cook. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/mom_popnew.jpg'> I have a collection of several Italian cookbooks and I enjoy cooking with my wife. In the past five years we've visited Italy 4 times and each time I come back several pounds heavier. The thing that bothers me most are nuisance telephone calls, especially at dinner time. One of my favorite foods is pizza and in particular <li><a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook/book/62122>Pizza Rustica!!!</a></li> which we usually make for Easter. I enjoy spending a quiet evening at a local restaurant with my wife. We also get pleasure with our grandkids at our beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey. We have part of the first floor in this triplex. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/condonew.jpg'> That's our family in Ocean City,NJ in 2002. Since then we've added three grandchildren. <img src='http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/58382/Familynew.jpg'></td></tr></table>

View Full Profile