Pasta Con Le Sarde
Pasta Con Le Sarde, Pasta with Sardines
2
A Sicilian classic, pasta con le sarde combines tender pasta with wild sardines, sun-dried tomatoes, saffron, and my version of a toasted breadcrumb-pine nut topping. It’s a savory, earthy dish with bright lemon and a touch of heat.
Ingredients
- wild sardines, 1 can (boneless, skinless — recommended: Wild Planet brand)
- shallot, 1 thinly sliced
- garlic, 3 cloves, roughly minced
- sun-dried tomatoes, handful chopped
- olive oil, for cooking
- lemon, juice of ½ — save the rest for serving
- saffron, 1 pinch
- long macaroni pasta of choice, enough for 2 servings (boxed or homemade busiate)
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- salt & pepper, to taste
Toasted 'Breadcrumb' Topping
- nutritional yeast, ¼ cup
- pine nuts, ¼ cup
- dried basil, a pinch
- dried oregano, a pinch
- salt & pepper, to taste
- olive oil, drizzle for toasting
Directions
Bloom saffron: Add a pinch of saffron to 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let steep for at least 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. (You can also use boiling pasta water)
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Toast topping: In a dry skillet, toast pine nuts until golden. Turn off heat, then stir in nutritional yeast, herbs, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
- Sauté aromatics: In olive oil, cook shallot and garlic until soft. Add sun-dried tomatoes and sardines. Gently break up the sardines with a spoon.
- Add saffron: Pour in the bloomed saffron with its water, along with lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Let simmer briefly.
- Toss pasta into the sauce. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen.
Serve warm, topped with the toasted pinoli mixture, a drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice and pinch of red pepper flakes.