*Honestly, I simply didn’t have any and while I don’t think the dish is really missing anything, if you’ve got some already-made toasted breadcrumbs leftover, from say, this recipe here, definitely use them for this dish! NYT Cooking is a subscription service of The New York Times. Add the drained pasta to the pan with the sardines and caramelized fennel. I’m sure you’ll love it if you try it! Cook 5 minutes more, then add the sardine fillets. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Simmer the fennel fronds in a large pot of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. In a large skillet, stew the onions and diced fennel in 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the drained pasta to the pan with the sardines and caramelized fennel. Serve immediately. This is a historical dish full of authentic Sicilian flavours. When fronds are cool, chop finely with a large knife (or pulse in a food processor with a little of the cooking water). We are a young couple based in Rome, we come from very traditional italian families, where our mothers, aunts and grandmothers uses to spend most of their time into the kitchen and we both grow up in a world where talking about food is the main topic of each discussion! Pasta with Sardines and wild Fennel. For more of a ‘fennel’ taste add some fennel seeds! Sautè 3-4 minutes stirring until the fish starts to fall apart. Add salt once it starts to boil (less salt if using the fennel water) and bring to the boil again. Because our other passion is travel around the world and meet people to share experiences, in those years we have met many many people that ask us to cook for them and to reveal the secret of italian cuisines. Finally, pull firmly and gently on the head to separate the meat from the backbone. Featured in: Drain the sardines from the oil and roughly break the fish up with a fork and set aside. Wild Fennel And Sardines Give Pasta A Fragrant Taste Of Sicily. First, soak the raisins in a bowl of warm water. Add the raisin mixture and its liquid and bring to a simmer. Fusilli Bucati Corti (short hollow fusilli), Garganelli pasta from Romagna (Emilia-Romagna), Gomiti Elbow Pasta, a pasta with many names, Italian Gnocchi; Potato gnocchi and family, Canederli: Italian Bread Dumplings from South Tirol, Lombrichelli, hand rolled pasta from Lazio, Maccheroncini di Campofilone from Le Marche. Peel and chop the onion finely. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where… Read More, 3rd place in Top 50 Italian Food Blogs Awards by Feedspot, Copyright © 2020 The Pasta Project on the Brunch Pro Theme, Sicilian pasta with sardines and wild fennel, Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta or Val d’Aosta). Tuscan Gnudi (ricotta and spinach gnocchi). Cover and simmer for 10 mins. Set aside. Jump to Recipe. Boil the wild fennel in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I used organic penne actually made with a heritage grain called Russello and wild fennel! I am an excellent eater and modest home cook. I’ve also excluded saffron and toasted breadcrumbs from my recipe here, because I don’t think the dish really needs it* (No offence meant, of course). Other popular additions to add more flavor and texture to the dish often include wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins and saffron. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. I basically grew up on sardines, it is common in European diet. There is no additional cost to you. Taste the sardine-‘sauce’ and add salt and pepper to taste; be careful with the salt, though, because the sauce can already be a little salty from the anchovies. These cookies do not store any personal information. Place the sardines into the pan. Bring the water in which you cooked the wild fennel to boil again, when it boils pour 1 tablespoon of salt and cook pasta. Sprinkle some chopped reserved fennel fronds over the pasta and sauce, if using. (If using canned sardines, skip this step and simply stir them in.). Ingredients 1 cup coarse dry bread crumbs Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper Pinch of sugar 2 ounces fresh My take on a traditional Sicilian dish made with pasta, fennel, sardines and anchovies. I hope you’ll get some fresh sardines and make this version. Then drain and chop them finely. In fact, although the pasta on your supermarket shelves may be ‘made in Italy’, the wheat used is not always Italian! Caccavelle Giant Pasta Shells from Gragnano, Naples. Pasta is my go to during the week for the perfect comfort food with the family! Finally, add salt as needed and another splash of olive oil. Ancient grains, also called heritage grains, are types of wheat which haven’t been altered to produce higher yields. Add the reserved pasta and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and stir to combine. Blanche wild fennel in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and finely chop and add in step 8. Pour in the raisins + the wine (or water) they were soaked in and add the (lightly toasted) pine nuts as well. Stir in reserved fennel fronds. […] 1. I’ve actually had this on my list to try for a while – I’ve made the similar dish “pasta con sarde a mare” which is much the same without sardines but have been waiting for fresh sardines to be available to try this. CUCCHIARELLA is a space to share the secrets of the “REAL” italian cooking. After a 3 day storm he arrived in Capo Granitola bay. Dice the fennel bulb, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the fennel until tender and golden (about 15 mins). Sicilian pasta with sardines and wild fennel is still made almost the same way hundreds of years later! When using canned sardines, omit the 60ml of oil in the recipe below and use the oil from (several) cans of sardines in its place. Wild fennel is native to the Mediterranean region and I should be able to find it all over Greece, but I doubt I can find it growing ‘in the wild’ over here in the center of Athens, or at least none I would be able to safely consume. Thank you for sharing. In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat remaining 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil over medium heat until … If you have fresh sardines, rinse them thoroughly and eliminate the scales by rubbing the body under running water. But, in general, the recipe calls for fresh sardines, anchovies, sultanas/raisins, pine nuts, saffron and wild fennel. Sicilian pasta with sardines and wild fennel is a delicious fusion of ingredients from Arab and Mediterranean cultures and a reminder of Sicily’s fascinating history. In Sicily, there are a number of popular sardine based dishes such as ‘sarde al beccafico’, which I love. Add the sardines and continue to cook uncovered until the sardines are warmed through.
On June 14th 827, Da Messina sailed to the southern coast of Sicily. I love these ancient recipes with history! I made it for my Sicilian hubby and he was sooo happy!! I didn’t have as much wild fennel as I would have liked to make this recipe. So tasty and good for you. Amazing that we still use the same kind of recipes to make delicious meals today. Thanks Kate! I’m always looking for delicious ways to get my omega3s in and this is delicious! Stir to combine well (add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid if the pasta seems too dry). The peak season is during March. Start by putting the raisins in half a glass of water to letit soften. I’ll give your measured out recipe a try. In fact, they were used mainly as bait to catch bigger fish. Save the water and drain the fennel and put it into a bowl of iced water to preserve the colour. I know some people (not normally Italians) think pasta isn’t very healthy! But, if you don’t have wild fennel use the greenest and most tender parts of fennel tops. Garnish with lemon wedges. Pasta con le sarde (a sardines pasta recipe) is a classic Italian pasta dish from Sicily. I’m sure gluten free pasta will be just as good Lesli! Alla Mediterranea (Mediterranean sauce and celebrations!