I am a little obsessed with sardines. As a little girl my grandpa Emmanuel and I would feast on crusty bread, sardine and thinly sliced onion with EVOO. Kindergartener, I may have been a little unpopular because my lunch “smelled bad”. I may not have had a lot of friends at the lunch table but I had the best lunch. When you cook with sardines or anchovies their flavor mellows in olive oil and garlic.
Recipe featured on Rachael Ray in Tuscany.
Bring pasta water up to a boil for pasta. Salt the water to season it.
In a large skillet, heat about 1/3 cup EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and fennel and season with a little salt and let them sweat for 7-8 minutes.
Drop pasta into boiling water and cook a minute less than directions.
Add the canned sardines to the skillet with onions and fennel and break them up with a paddle. Add Pernod and let it absorb, add wine, currants, saffron threads and garlic and red pepper flakes, swirl and stir.
In a small saute pan, heat up 2 tablespoons EVOO over medium heat, add the lemon, cut side down, and cook to caramelize. Remove from the pan. If using, add the fresh sardines and cook in the lemon infused oil for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and squeeze the charred lemon over the sardines.
Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup cooking water, add pasta and fresh sardines, if using, to the sauce and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Top with nuts, parsley and fronds and scatter the breadcrumbs on top, if using.
