Pasta con le Sarde

5 from 6 votes

Pasta con le sarde, also known as St. Joseph's Pasta, is a wonderful combination of al dente bucatini, toasted breadcrumbs, fennel, sardines, pignoli, and golden raisins.

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

For the breadcrumbs

1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the pasta

1 pinch saffron
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large fennel bulb cut in half, save a 1/2 cup or less of the fronds
1 medium onion diced
5 cloves garlic sliced
5 oil-packed anchovy fillets
3 4-ounce cans of oil-packed sardines
1/3 cup golden raisins soaked in water then drained
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cups reserved pasta water will most likely not need it all
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the breadcrumbs

Heat a large pan to medium-low heat and saute the breadcrumbs in the olive oil until golden (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the pasta

Place the saffron in the wine and set aside.
Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil the fennel for about 10 minutes or until tender then remove with a slotted spoon. Save the water because that will be used to cook the pasta. Once the fennel is cool enough to handle, dice it into small pieces.
Heat a large pan to medium and saute the onions in extra virgin olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the anchovies and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Mash the anchovies with a wooden spoon to break them up.
Add the fennel and cook for another 2 minutes.
At this time cook the pasta until 1 minute less than al dente.
Add the wine and saffron mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat to reduce the liquid by about half.
Add the raisins, pine nuts, and fronds along with the sardines. Turn the heat down to low and gently break the sardines apart but don’t mash them. Leave some texture.
Add the pasta to the pan along with 1 cup of pasta water. Toss or mix quickly and cook the pasta until it reaches just al dente.
Remove the pan from the heat and taste test. Adjust salt and pepper as required. If the pasta is too dry add a bit more of the reserved pasta water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and mix again. Add half of the breadcrumbs and toss the pasta. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Offer with the remaining breadcrumbs at the table. Enjoy!

Notes

Traditionally, this dish is served with fresh sardines, but canned oil-packed sardines are a great option.
Anchovies and canned sardines are very salty. Go easy with extra salt.
Supermarkets often sell large fennel bulbs that might need to be shaved a bit with a peeler to remove the hard outer edges. Smaller and more tender fennel (like the ones used in the post body above) can be used as is.
Always reserve pasta water. If the pasta dries out before serving, just add a few ounces of the pasta water to bring the consistency right back to perfect.
Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave.

Nutrition