This is a very simple dish that it easy to prepare. However, please note that it’s only worthwhile to do this if you have find super fresh sardines (caught the same day) and make the dish the same day. Sardines are delicious but they perish very quickly. Waiting even one day to eat them is not advised.
Ingredients (serves 6-8):
-Salt
-Extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup San Marzano crushed tomatoes
-Zest of one orange
-1 cup fresh bread crumbs
-2 pounds fresh wild sardines
-2 lemons sliced into thin wedges
-1 clove garlic chopped coarsely
Tomato Sauce
Pre-heat your oven to 425. In a large sauté pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sliced garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 20 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.
Bread Crumbs
Take a big piece of fresh bread (day old is fine too) and break into pieces. Add to a food processor and chop until coarse but not too fine. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a 10-12″ sauté pan and add the bread crumbs. Toss with the oil until lightly toasted. Add in the orange zest and season with salt. Set aside.
Sardines
Wash and pat dry your sardines. In a large not-stick pan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Lay the sardines into the pan (do in batches if there not enough room to accommodate all of them) and sauté 1 minute on each side. Remove the sardines–taking care not to break them–and set aside on a plate.
Take the large pan with the San Marzano tomatoes and add in all of your sardines. Do not stack them on top of one another. Add the toasted bread crumbs on top and cover with the lemon wedges. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and insert into the 425 degree oven. Roast for approximately 15 minutes or until you can easily pierce the sardines with a knife. Serve immediately.
January 6th, 2007
This is a new dish I recently concocted and I love it! The bitterness and crunch of the rapini alongside the tomatoes, the mint and the capricious heat of the hot peppers is truly a wonderful combination. It’s a simple dish but takes some care to come together in the right away. Pay attention to what you are doing when preparing this divine pasta. You will likely find dishes similar (or even the same) to this in Rome. Romans love the headiness of tomatoes, pepper flakes and fresh mint.
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt & pepper
-2 cloves garlic chopped coarsely
-1 and 1/2 cups of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
-2 cups of Rapini or Broccoli Rabe, washed and sliced into small pieces
-1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 cup of fresh mint, chopped finely
-1 pound of best quality dry pasta such as Rustichella (if using a major name brand go for DiCecco)
Tomato Sauce
In a large sauté pan (12-14″) heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until translucent (not browned). Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked. Season with salt and pepper along the way. Set aside.
Rapini
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt followed immediately by your Rapini. Blanch the Rapini for approximately 5 minutes or until slightly cooked but still crunchy at the stems. Drain and set aside. Cover to keep warm.
Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta followed immediately by 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Be sure and remove the pasta 1 minute or so before to ensure it remains al dente. Three minutes before the pasta is ready to come out add the Rapini to the pan with the tomato sauce. Heat the mixture over medium heat. Now drain your pasta and add to the pan with the Rapini and tomatoes. Add the hot pepper flakes and toss for 1-2 minutes over high heat. Off the heat add the mint and toss once more. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bring everything to the plate. Serve immediately.
January 5th, 2007
