Sardine & Fennel Pasta

15 minutes prep 25 minutes active cooking 40 minutes total

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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Inspired by the sardine pastas of Sicily, this dish packs a lot of flavor for something so simple.

It combines fresh fennel bulb and fennel seeds to mimic the more intense wild fennel Sicilians love. Use any good dried pasta, but short, twisty shapes hold the chunky sauce better.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

1 pound of Penne Rigate or similar shaped pasta
2 cloves of Garlic
1 bulb Fresh Fennel
1 tablespoon of Fennel Seeds

From our shop

2 packages of Sardines in Organic Olive Oil
$9.00– Los Angeles - California

Out of stock

6 tablespoons of Madre Terra
$25.00– Sicily - Italy

1 can of Crushed Tomatoes
$7.00– Yolo Valley - California

1 tablespoon of Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
$6.00– Naples - Italy

1 tablespoon of Fennel Pollen
$27.00– Arrezo - Italy

Equipment

From the kitchen

1 Chef's Knife
1 Cutting Board
1-3 Soup Pots
1 Skillet
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Put the pasta water on first. While it’s getting hot, trim the stalks from the fennel bulb. Pluck off any of the frilly fronds, chop, and set aside. Cut the bulb into roughly quarter inch chunks. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and use your hands to break them up.

Step 2

Cook the fennel with the fennel seeds in a healthy glug of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt until tender, about 15 minutes. Push the fennel to the edges of the pan, add a tablespoon of tomato paste, and let it cook for a minute.

Step 3

Chop the garlic and add it to the fennel, cook for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes. Add the sardines, breaking them up with a spoon, and a couple of teaspoons of fennel pollen. Simmer until the pasta is ready.

Step 4

Cook the pasta in well-salted water until you hit your preferred version of al dente (check the package for cooking time and start tasting the pasta when you get close). Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for a minute or two, then stir in the chopped fennel fronds.