Creamy Sardine And Dill Pasta Recipes

SPAGHETTI WITH SARDINES, DILL AND FRIED CAPERS

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti in a pasta pot of well- salted boiling water until al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Fry capers until they "bloom" and are just a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Toast bread crumbs in same skillet, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with capers, dill, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
• Add sardines to skillet with their oil (if using 3 cans sardines, discard oil from 1 can) over medium-high heat, then force garlic through a garlic press into skillet. Sauté until sardines are golden in spots around edges, about 2 minutes.
• Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta. Add pasta to skillet with cooking water and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss until pasta is coated and sauce is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with seasoned crumbs.

PASTA CON LE SARDE (SICILIAN PASTA WITH SARDINES) RECIPE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Mince half the fennel fronds and reserve the other half whole.
• Add pine nuts and sardines and cook, stirring, until sardines are just barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving at least 1 cup pasta cooking water.
• Transfer pasta to skillet along with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring and tossing, until pasta is well coated in sauce and any excess liquid has cooked off. Drizzle on some fresh olive oil (don't be shy) along with the minced fennel fronds, and toss well. Season with salt. Add a very small handful of bread crumbs and toss once more.
• If at any point the pasta becomes too dry, add additional pasta cooking water in 1/4-cup increments, and toss to loosen and moisten (you can also drizzle on more olive oil as desired). The noodles should be slick and glossy with a sheen of sauce, but not sitting in a watery puddle.

CREAMY SARDINE AND DILL PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling water as directed on package directions, 10-12 minutes or until al dente. Drain well.
• Melt butter in same pan. Gently cook onion and garlic, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Use on low heat to avoid browning. Blend in flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
• Stir in lemon juice and, chicken broth. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to gentle simmer.
• Add warm pasta, sardines, cream, dill and pepper, stir until heated through.
• Mix in cheese just before serving.
• Serve at once with a salad, some robust wine, and hot crusty bread.
• Enjoy!

PASTA CON SARDE (PASTA WITH SARDINES)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente, or 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, cover and keep warm.
• Place another 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet, and heat over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook just until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sardines, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. If necessary to give the mixture a crumbly texture, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Stir in the parsley and pepper, and remove from the heat. If desired, serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

BROCCOLI-DILL PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
• Prepare the umami powder: Grind the porcini in a spice grinder until pulverized, then transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is broken down into a fine meal. Transfer to a jar or lidded container. (Makes about 1 1/4 cups.)
• Prepare the pasta: Season the boiling water with salt, then add the broccoli and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli, then rinse with cold water and gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender.
• While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce: In the same food processor (no need to wash it out), combine the cooked broccoli, dill, garlic and 1/3 cup umami powder; process until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly pour in the oil. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula, and blend again, then season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and drain the cooked pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, and toss with broccoli sauce, thinning with a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed to help coat the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with a sprinkle of umami powder and fresh dill.

CREAMY SALMON PASTA

Steps:

• You can either steam or roast the salmon, depending if you want to turn the oven on or not. To roast, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, place on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and roast for 12 mins until opaque and the flesh starts to flake when pressed. To steam, place the fillets skin-side down in a steamer, and steam over a pan of simmering water for 8-10 mins until cooked.
• While the salmon is cooking, boil the pasta for 10 mins until al dente, then drain, reserving 100ml of the pasta water.
• Heat the oil on a medium heat in a wide frying pan and fry the shallot for 6 mins until softened, but not turning golden. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more until fragrant. Add the wine, bubble for a few minutes until reduced by half, then add the cream and season well. Bring to a very gentle simmer.
• Flake the cooked salmon into big chunky pieces, leaving the skin behind. Add to the sauce with the cooked pasta. Add the lemon zest, a squeeze of the juice and most of the dill. Add a splash of the pasta water to the sauce to coat the pasta if you need to. Toss gently to keep the salmon in big pieces. Check the seasoning, if using double cream you may need a squeeze more lemon juice. Grind over some black pepper and scatter over the remaining dill. Serve with a green salad.

PENNE CON LA SARDINE (BAKED PASTA AND SARDINES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven (390 F, 200 C).
• Cook Penne according to package directions, but only until hardly al dente.
• Meanwhile put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an oven proof dish.
• Salt and pepper sardines to taste and arrange them in a single layer in the dish.
• Combine cream, tomato puree and thyme leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.
• When pasta are cooked drain them (but do not rinse them) and arrange them over the fish.
• Spread the cream-tomato mixture evenly over pasta. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
• Crumble feta cheese over the sauce. Place butter in little pieces on top and put in the oven.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot.
• NOTE: if you like it a bit more saucy use 3/4 cup of cream and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree.