Pasta con le Sarde

( Pasta with Sardines)

 

Boil a head of fennel in salted water. Press out the moisture. Chop and set aside, retaining the cooking water. Fry two finely sliced onions in ½ glass of olive oil, lightly, then add in 4 anchovy filets. Add one can of boneless, skinless Mediterranean sardines and fry them in the onion mixture. Add the fennel, salt, pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. Finally put in 2 oz. of raisins or currants, previously softened in tepid water, 2 oz. of pignoli nuts, and some saffron thinned with water. In the fennel cooking water boil a pound of bucatini or perciatelli, broken in half. Drain them when cooked and transfer to pan with sauce. Mixing continuously, cook a couple of minutes. This dish must be served tepid or even cold.

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From Antonio Cardella, SICILIA E ISOLE (La Cucina delle Regioni d'Italia), formerly called SICILIA IN BOCCA and Wanda Tornabene, LA CUCINA SICILIANA DI GANGIVECCHIO.