Pasta Con Le Sarde
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1-1/2 ounces golden raisins
- Pinch of saffron (optional) I used turmeric for the rich color.
- Olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup minced, peeled, cored fennel bulb (keep fronds)
- 1 cup minced onion
- 2 small can oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 4-5 cans oil-packed sardines
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 pound bucatini pasta
- Heat wine; add raisins and saffron (or turmeric)
- Heat olive oil; add ground fennel; cook until fragrant - about 25 seconds
- Add breadcrumbs and cook, tossing until toasted. Set aside.
- Bring large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
- Mince the fronds of the fennel. Set aside for garnish.
- In large skillet, heat olive oil; add diced onion and diced fennel bulb. Cook until tender - about 15 minutes. I removed the pan from the heat, covered it, and let it sit about 20 minutes.
- Add wine, raisins, saffron (turmeric) and cook gently, scraping the bits from the pan; cook until the wine evaporates.
- Add the pine nuts and stir for about 3 minutes.
- Add the sardines and heat through.
- Cook the pasta al dente and reserve at least 1 cup of the liquid.
- Toss the drained pasta in the sauce; add generous amount of olive oil and a small amount of the water.
- Adjust the moisture of the pasta using the reserved water.
- Serve the pasta garnished with the toasted crumbs and a few of the fresh fennel fronds.