Pasta con sarde – or pasta with sardines – is a traditional Sicilian dish that is simple to make but packed with flavor. The combination of sardines, wild fennel, currants, pine nuts, breadcrumbs, and saffron creates a dish that is both hearty and refreshing. Pasta con sarde is typically served with a side of crusty bread for soaking up the delicious sauce.
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SARDINE PASTA (PASTA CON LE SARDE) SICILIAN RECIPE AND HISTORY
Sardines pasta is a traditional Sicilian delicacy, and, as usual for many Italian recipes, is the protagonist of a legend and a historical fact. The ingredients of this dish are typical of Sicily but also inspired by the foreign occupations of the island into the centuries. Here the history and the recipe of this legendary dish!
Provided by Filippo Trapella - philosokitchen.com
Time 40m
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- First, soak the raisin into a bowl full of warm water.
- After that, soak the saffron in another little cup along with 2 tbsp of water.
- The tradition wants wild fennel, very easy to find in Sicily.
- But, if you are not so lucky to have wild fennel to hand, use the greenest and most tender parts of fennel tops.
- Bring to boil a pot big enough to cook the pasta full of water.
- Now, mince the tops of fennel roughly along with the leaves.
- Finally, poach them 1 minute, raise and pour into a bowl full of iced water to preserve the color and stop the cooking. Save the water flavored with fennel.
- Although this sardines pasta is also delicious prepared with canned sardines, fresh fish is traditionally the best option.
- If you opt for fresh sardines, rinse them thoroughly and eliminate the scales rubbing the body under running water.
- Then, open the stomach with your thumb and discard the offal.
- Finally, pull firmly and gently the head and separate the meat from the backbone.
- Rinse the fish fillets again, dry them, and place in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Place a little pan over medium heat and sauté the pine nuts until golden, then pour them into a cup.
- Now, peel and mince the onion finely.
- After that, pour the onion in a pan and sauté over medium heat along with 3 tbsp of olive oil until smooth and translucent.
- Rinse the raisin and add into the pan along with the pine nuts and the anchovies, and the minced fennel.
- Cook 5 minutes more, then add the sardine fillets. Sauté 3-4 minutes stirring until the fish starts to fall apart.
- Do not overcook the fish. Finally, add salt as needed and another splash of olive oil.
- Toast the breadcrumbs or Panko in a little pan until golden, then pour into a bowl.
- Cook the pasta in the same water used to poach the fennel, along with 4.5 tbsp of coarse salt.
- Raise the pasta "al dente" and toss it with the sardines sauce and the saffron.
- Complete with toasted breadcrumbs and black pepper.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 243 calories, Carbohydrate 15 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 2 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 19 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 3 grams protein, SaturatedFat 2 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1, Sugar 4 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 16 grams unsaturated fat
PASTA CON SARDE (PASTA WITH SARDINES)
This dish is super fast and easy, made from a recipe that has been passed down from relatives in Italy. The leftovers taste great cold, too!
Provided by Mama Adg
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 25m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente, or 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, cover and keep warm.
- Place another 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook just until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sardines, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. If necessary to give the mixture a crumbly texture, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir in the parsley and pepper, and remove from the heat. If desired, serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1045.6 calories, Carbohydrate 106.5 g, Cholesterol 86.9 mg, Fat 52.4 g, Fiber 5.4 g, Protein 35.9 g, SaturatedFat 8.4 g, Sodium 930.4 mg, Sugar 4.9 g
PASTA CON LE SARDE
Provided by Food Network
Time 35m
Yield 4 to 6 Servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Soak raisins in a bowl of lukewarm water for 20 minutes. In a large pot of boiling, salted water blanch fennel tops, 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, pat dry and chop. Return water to boiling and add pasta. Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat oil over medium heat, add sardines and saute 2 to 3 minutes, mashing with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Add vinegar and let it evaporate, about 2 minutes. Drain raisins, pat dry and add along with fennel and pine nuts. Cook sauce 1 minute more. When pasta is tender, drain and transfer to a large warmed serving dish. Pour sauce over and toss very well. Serve immediately.;
PASTA CON LE SARDE (SICILIAN PASTA WITH SARDINES) RECIPE
A classic pasta from Palermo in Siciliy, pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines) is unlike just about any other Italian pasta dish. Heavily influenced by the cooking of Arabs that ruled Sicily more than a thousand years ago, it features long bucatini or spaghetti in a slick, luscious, and fragrant sauce made from onions, fennel, raisins, pine nuts, anchovies, sardines, and saffron. Instead of cheese, toasted and seasoned bread crumbs grace the plate.
Provided by Daniel Gritzer
Categories Mains Quick Dinners
Time 35m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Mince half the fennel fronds and reserve the other half whole.
- Add pine nuts and sardines and cook, stirring, until sardines are just barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving at least 1 cup pasta cooking water.
- Transfer pasta to skillet along with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring and tossing, until pasta is well coated in sauce and any excess liquid has cooked off. Drizzle on some fresh olive oil (don't be shy) along with the minced fennel fronds, and toss well. Season with salt. Add a very small handful of bread crumbs and toss once more.
- If at any point the pasta becomes too dry, add additional pasta cooking water in 1/4-cup increments, and toss to loosen and moisten (you can also drizzle on more olive oil as desired). The noodles should be slick and glossy with a sheen of sauce, but not sitting in a watery puddle.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 749 kcal, Carbohydrate 59 g, Cholesterol 146 mg, Fiber 6 g, Protein 38 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Sodium 720 mg, Sugar 13 g, Fat 40 g, ServingSize Serves 4, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
PASTA (BUCATINI) CON LE SARDE (SARDINES)
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.
Provided by Phil Franco
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 1h
Yield 2 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- 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!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1495.8, Fat 70.8, SaturatedFat 10.4, Cholesterol 330.3, Sodium 1658.3, Carbohydrate 133, Fiber 14, Sugar 16.7, Protein 79.2
PASTA CON LE SARDE
When the photographer and filmmaker Robert Trachtenberg brought this recipe to The Times in 2008, he described it as "a perfectly balanced combination of sardines, fennel, currants and bread crumbs." Adapted from Gusto in Greenwich Village, this seafood pasta needs no cheese: The saltiness and bite from the sardines and the sautéed vegetables should be more than enough.
Provided by Robert Trachtenberg
Categories dinner, pastas, main course
Time 1h
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Combine the currants, red-pepper flakes and wine in a bowl; set aside. In a small sauté 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 pasta 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.
IANA'S PASTA CON LE SARDE
A traditional Sicilian pasta recipe with a tomato-based sauce, sardines, and fennel. Credit goes to Iana, a special lady who lived near Castello a Mare.
Provided by FredWilliams
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 45m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel bulb, fronds, and onion. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add sardines with oil; stir until crumbled. Stir in raisins, pine nuts, basil, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes; cook until toasted. Pour in tomatoes. Let sauce simmer.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in another pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bread crumbs and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Drain pasta; serve topped with the sauce, seasoned bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 467.6 calories, Carbohydrate 68.5 g, Cholesterol 45.8 mg, Fat 13.1 g, Fiber 6 g, Protein 20.7 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, Sodium 438.9 mg, Sugar 6.7 g
Tips:
- Fresh is best: Use the freshest sardines you can find for the best flavor.
- Clean the sardines properly: Remove the heads, tails, and guts from the sardines before cooking. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water.
- Don't overcook the sardines: Sardines are a delicate fish, so it's important not to overcook them. Cook them just until they are opaque throughout.
- Use a good quality pasta: The type of pasta you use will make a big difference in the overall dish. Choose a pasta that is made with high-quality ingredients and that has a good texture.
- Don't be afraid to experiment: There are many different ways to make pasta con sarde. Feel free to add your own favorite ingredients or adjust the recipe to your liking.
Conclusion:
Pasta con sarde is a delicious and versatile dish that is perfect for any occasion. It's a great way to use up leftover sardines, and it's also a budget-friendly meal. If you're looking for a new and exciting pasta dish to try, pasta con sarde is a great option.
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