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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.
Ingredients
For the shopping list
Garlic
Fresh Fennel
Fennel Seeds
From our shop
$25 - Sicily - Italy
$7 - Yolo Valley - California
$6 - Naples - Italy
$27 - Arrezo - Italy
Equipment
From the kitchen
Chef Knife
Skillet
Large Pot for Pasta
Collander
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.
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