Pasta con sarde a mare - 'pasta with sardines at sea'

5 from 4 votes

A classic, frugal Sardinian pasta dish that's full of flavor.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 659kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

1 bulb fennel small, lots of fronds approx 300g, roughly chop, boil in lightly salted water. Reserve water for pasta
2 tablespoon pine nuts 18g - lightly dry fried to toast
1 oz bread 30g (1 small slice), made into crumbs
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic large, crushed or finely chopped
2 tablespoon raisins 22g
4 tablespoon tomato paste
4 anchovy fillets finely chopped
7 oz pasta 200g - bucatini if pos or spaghetti, cooked in water from fennel
4 tablespoon water from pasta added to the sauce, approx

Trim the top and bottom from the fennel and roughly chop. Place it in a pan of water with a little salt, bring to a boil then reduce the het to a simmer. Cook until the fennel is tender, around 10 minutes. Remove the fennel from the water but reserve the pan of water. Allow the fennel to cool slightly before chopping finely.
While the fennel is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet/frying pan until just slightly colored and set aside. Use the same pan to toast the breadcrumbs until dry and slightly browned. Set aside and mix through the sugar.
Warm the oil in a medium skillet/frying pan and add the garlic. Cook for a minute then add the fennel, pine nuts, raisins, tomato paste and anchovies. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, while you cook the pasta.
Cook the pasta in the water from cooking the fennel until al dente.
Add around ¼cup/4tbsp of the pasta water to the fennel sauce to loosen then add the cooked pasta and mix well so it is well coated by the sauce.
Serve with the breadcrumbs scattered over the top.

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