Nonna Fina’s Sicilian Pasta with Sardines

Name: Nonna Fina’s Sicilian Pasta with Sardines (Pasta con le sarde)
Yield: Feeds 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp tomato purée; pinch caster sugar (optional); 400 g (14 oz) bucatini pasta; squeeze of lemon (optional); 1 shallot, finely diced; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 100 ml (7 tbsp) white wine; 175 g (heaped 1 cup) fennel, finely sliced; 4 tinned anchovies; 125 g (2½ cups) breadcrumbs; glug of olive oil; 60 g (⅔ cup) raisins; 60 g (½ cup) pine nuts; 350 g (12 oz) sardines, de-headed and chopped up

Pasta con le sarde

Preparation info

Feeds
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Grand Dishes

By Iska Lupton

Published 2021

About

Ingredients

175 g (heaped 1 cup) fennel, finely sliced
1 shallot, finely diced

Europe
Italy
Fish course
Pescatarian
Mediterranean
Sicily

Method

Gently boil your fennel until soft (about 5 minutes) then leave in the water to soak until it’s needed.
Fry the shallot in the oil on a medium-low heat until translucent and starting to turn golden.
Add the anchovies to fry with the shallot - these will almost dissolve as they cook and add a salty kick.
Once the anchovies have broken down, a