Sicilian Spaghetti with Sardines and Cherry Tomatoes

This dish is a favourite and it holds a special place in my heart. It quickly became a tradition that each time I moved home - and I moved a lot - it was the first meal to be cooked in my new kitchen. I am still not sure how or why this came about, but I love it nonetheless. My version is simpler than the traditional version you would find on the Sicilian coastline. That includes the sweetness of wild fennel and raisins, picking up the flavours of our neighbours across the Mediterranean.

I didn’t have bucatini today, rather I substituted spaghetti and I opted for tinned sardines, parsley, garlic and cherry tomatoes. I cook this dish often, adopting the flavours of this Sicilian delight and turning it into an affordable, quick and easy mid-week meal that is built mostly on pantry staples. It’s simply delicious and it’s incredibly nutritious…. Sardines are so good for you!

 

 

Serves 4  |  Preparation Time 10 minutes  |  Cooking Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

500g bucatini* or spaghetti

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 handful flat-leaf parsley

3-4 anchovy fillets

100g tin sardines, in olive oil

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

Pangrattato, recipe page 57

Freshly ground black pepper

*Bucatini are a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the centre. It is commonly seen throughout Lazio, particularly Rome.

 

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn't stick.

Meanwhile, heat half of the extra virgin olive oil in a large deep frypan set to a medium heat. Wash and pat dry the parsley, separating the stalks from the leaves. Set aside the leaves for garnish. Roughly chop the stalks and add to the frypan along with the garlic and anchovies. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the garlic becomes fragrant and the anchovies have melted down. Be sure to stir through a few times to prevent the garlic from burning.

Next, add the sardines, with its oil, and the cherry tomatoes to the frypan. Turn the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. The sardines will start to break down and the cherry tomatoes will gently collapse. 

Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta directly into the tomato and sardines, stir to combine. Add a small splash of the cooking water, approximately 2 tablespoons at a time, and cook on a low heat. Repeat until the sauce has emulsified and thickly coats each strand of pasta. This should only take a couple of minutes. 

Turn off the heat, season generously with freshly ground black pepper only as the sardines and anchovies would have salted this dish enough already. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with the parsley leaves.

Divide amongst serving bowls and serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of pangrattato.