My Frond-ness for Fennel - Linguine con le Sarde

I figured, since I just finished touting the healthy deliciousness that is Fennel, I should probably post a recipe that uses something other than the bulb.  I mean, there ARE other parts to the plant, and as I stated in Risotto al Finoccho, they are all edible.   This particular recipe utilizes the feathery leaves.

Normally, when I cook Italian cuisine, I tend to stay in the northern area of the country.  True, I venture down to Lazio, on occasion, and delve into Campania for San Marzano Tomatoes and Mozarella di Bufala.  I even dip my toe in Abruzzo for Montepulciano. (which is awesome with lamb by the way) Most of the time, however, I tend to stay around Emilia-Romagna and it's northern neighbors Liguria, Piemonte, Aosta, Lombardia, Trentino, Veneto, and Friuli.  Heck, my last Fennel recipe was a risotto and risotto is a Northern Italian dish, at least for the most part.  But today, I wanna take a trip south.... WAY south.  Across the water.  Though it's really not all that much water.  The Destination?  Sicilia (Sicily).  In particular, Palermo.   For that is where this dish hails from. Though I have heard it said that the invading Moors are actually responsible for this dish, which is why it contains Currants.

I know this will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I cannot help myself.  I LOVE Sardines.  They are simply delicious and they're amazingly good for you.  Besides being virtually mercury-less, unlike some other long lived fish, sardines are chock-full of Omega-3 fatty acids and loaded with calcium. They're really like health food in a can, I swear.  But we aren't done yet.  This dish contains Pine nuts as well.  Those little nuggets of cholesterol lowering yumminess.  Pine nuts are high in Oleic acid (a mono-unsaturated fat which helps reduce LDL and increase HDL production) and rife with Vitamin E (a fat soluble antioxidant).  Now once we add in the cancer fighting, anti-inflammatory power for Anethole, from the Fennel, and you have a pasta dish of such healthy proportions, it is truly a fearsome thing to behold.

So this one is for the fish lovers out there.

Linguine con le Sarde

1/2 cup dried Currants (those would be Zante Currants, black currants are hard to find)
2 oz Fennel leaves (about 3 bulbs worth of fronds, depending on how they are trimmed up)
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 cup Panko
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
3.5 oz Shallot, minced
5 Anchovy Fillets
3 4-oz cans Sardines (they are about 3 oz after draining)
pinch of Saffron
Salt and Pepper to to taste
1 lb Linguine (or more appropriately Bucatini)

Begin by soaking the Currants in enough hot water to cover them for 15 minutes.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the fennel "feathers" and blanch for 2 minutes.

Remove them with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and chop them roughly.

2 TB Olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat.

Toast Panko in the hot oil, tossing frequently, until all crispy and golden.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Wipe the pan and toast the pine nuts too.

Set them aside as well.

Add 1/2 cup Olive oil to the pan.

When heated, saute the shallot until soft. (about 5 minutes)

Add Anchovy fillets and cook, stirring, until they break apart. (about 3 minutes more)

Add the Sardines and stir them in carefully, you don't want to break them up too much.

Add the Currants and Fennel, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, drop the Linguine into the same water you blanched the Fennel fronds in.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the Pine Nuts.

When the pasta is done, quickly remove 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside.

Drain the Linguine well.

Pour the Linguine back into the pot and toss with 2 TB Olive oil. (this will help the sauce cling to the pasta)

Pour the Sardine mixture over the Linguine and toss gently.......

adding pasta water as necessary until everything becomes well blended and moderately "saucy".

(I only needed 3/4 cup of the pasta water this time)

Pour into a warm serving bowl

Then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the toasted Panko.

Serve with remaining Panko to be used at the diner's discretion.

And here is the gratuitous extreme close up shot....  :)

Mangia!!
~~

Nothin "Beets" Swiss Chard - Conchiglioni con Bietole

Swiss Chard... a favorite green veggie of the Mediterranean. Funny as it may seem, Swiss Chard is not from Switzerland. Nope, it originally hails from the Isle of Sicily.

Chard is a species of the beet. Which is a good thing, since it is also known as "silver beet". After all, how confusing is it when something is named after something that it isn't? Then again, how confusing was that last sentence? Unlike the typical red, golden or even sugar "beet" however, this particular strain is grown for it's delicious leaves. Not that the others don't have tasty greens, but the flavorful chard "beets" them all. (Har dee har har)

It is most commonly found in white & red stalked varieties. Though my personal favorite, simply for aesthetic reasons, is "Rainbow"; AKA "Bright Lights" chard, with it's orange, pink, yellow, white, red and even sometimes purple stalks. It adds a lot of color to a dish.

So tonight, since I had a hankerin' for some chard, I threw a little pasta dish together. I would have preferred Orechietti (little ears), but I didn't pick any up the last time I was at Trader Joe's.

Note to self - "Make sure I always have orechietti in the pantry".

Due to my lack of foresight, conchiglioni had to take it's place this evening; though I swear that this particular shell shape is also called gnocchi in some parts of Italy. Be that as it may, it gave a perfectly delicious Mediterranean flair to the dish.

Oh and as an added bonus, Chard is packed with Alpha & ß - Carotene, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and B Vitamins such as folate, niacin, pyridoxine, thiamin and pantothenic acid. Not to mention the flavinoids like lutein and zeaxanthin. On top of that it contains healthy quantities of Omega 3 fatty acids. You could almost say that it's nutritional value is un"beet"able... (OK, I promise I am done now)

Conchiglioni con Bietole

1 lb (453 g) fresh Swiss Chard (your choice of Red, White or the Multi-color)
~14 oz (400 g) Conchiglioni or Orechietti
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
6 TB Olive oil
2 Anchovy fillets, chopped
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Remove the lower 1/3 of the stem from the leaves, and plunge the chard into a large pot of salted boiling water, cooking it for 8-10 minutes.

Drain the chard,

and squeeze out all the water out of it, just like you would for spinach.

Drop your pasta into a large pot of salted water.

Heat the Olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the garlic and anchovy; sautéing until the garlic takes on a golden hue.

While the garlic is cooking, chop the chard.

When the garlic is golden, add the chard and toss together, then season with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and add to the saute pan , tossing for a couple of minutes to coat -or-

Drain the pasta and move to a warm bowl, pouring the chard mixture over the top and toss.

Serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated Pecorino Romano and enjoy!!

Don't fear the anchovy, it only adds a "savoriness" to the dish, it doesn't taste like fish... :)

Mangia!!

This Pasta is Pimpin' ! - Spaghettini alla Puttanesca

Most people have become aware of the origins of this dish.
It's all over the net, usually labeled "Whore Pasta" or something clever like "Pastatute". However there seem to be conflicting stories as the the WHY it is called this.

Some cite it is a 1950's dish created when prostitutes were only allowed to shop 1 day a week, others state it is simply "alla Casalinga" that has been "spiced up" or "tarted up" to use an English phrase; others tout that the scent was used like a "Sirens Song" to draw men to the brothel, some insist that it was the speed at which it could be cooked, eluding that it could be cooked in the time it took to "entertain" a guest, so the meal could be eaten between clients. Which, considering that it only takes about 15 minutes, is kind of insulting to the stamina of Italian men. ;) Finally, others claim that it stems from the word "Puttanata" (meaning Garbage or whatever "Junk" is in the pantry).

The final explanation, although much more prosaic and not as scandalous, makes more sense, at least to me. Standard Puttanesca contains very little in the way of fresh ingredients, like so many other Italian dishes. Everything is preserved in some way shape or form and would be part of a standard dry pantry in Italy, unless you happen to use fresh tomatoes.

You be the judge... Whatever the real story behind Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, it smells incredibly intense, it's quick to prepare and most importantly, extremely delicious!!!!

Historically it is made with Spaghetti or Bucatini, however, my own personal preference is Spaghettini. It's thicker than Capellini (Angel Hair), but thinner than Spaghetti. It seems to be easier to toss with the smaller sized ingredients and, since the sauce is dependent on the loose starch on the surface of the pasta, 1 lb of spaghettini has more surface area than 1 lb of spaghetti; thus the sauce holds together better.

About anchovies.... Please keep an open mind. If you think that you hate anchovies, it could be because you have never had properly prepared Italian ones. Sicily, in particular, produces anchovies packed in Olive oil, with little or no salt. They are more like a sardine. This dish is not suppose to be made with those gnarly over salted rolled up things that adorn WAY too many pizzas in the U.S. We have a glut of bad anchovies in the United States. When in doubt, go for the Anchovy paste, it's very low in salt, and you can control the amount you are using better. 1 inch = 1 anchovy Personally, I love the ones packed in Olive oil, so I use the whole tin (which is a heaping TB of paste)

I simply smash them into a paste with a fork.

About capers.... Whether salt packed or vinegar brined, always quick rinse your capers.
Rough chop them and your good to go.

About olives... I thought I had the Gaeta olives, but I was wrong, so I had to use a can of California black olives. (sigh) Oh well.
Kalamatas will work well also but, alas, I forgot to pick up a jar after I made Focaccia the last time.. oops!!!
Ultimately, you want an oil cured olive like Gaeta or a brined olive like Liguria or Ponentine. But good old California Black ones will work in a pinch. And in all honestly the spirit of the dish is to use what's in the pantry... Please forgive the me for using the wrong olives... :)

Spaghettini alla Puttanesca

1 lb Spaghettini or Bucatini
3 cloves Garlic (minced fine)
1 1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flake
3 Anchovy fillets (smashed with a fork) or 2 inches of Anchovy paste.
1 Can (15oz) Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
3 TB Capers in Vinegar, not salt (chopped roughly)
6 oz Black Olives (Cut in Half)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 sprigs of Flat-leaf Parsley (chopped rough)
3 leaves of chiffonade Basil
optional - Pecorino Romano

In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, sweat briefly.

Add crushed red pepper, and sweat to allow the olive oil to pull flavor from the flakes

Add smashed anchovy and stir until mixed into the hot oil.

Add diced Tomatoes and bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Add chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes, to reduce it just slightly.

Add olives and capers then bring back to a simmer and hold it for 3 more minutes.

Pour over drained Spaghetti and toss.

Sprinkle with chopped Parsley and chiffonade Basil

Pecorino Romano is completely optional. And in all honestly, since there IS fish in the sauce I tend to not use cheese. Because of the flavor of the dish is SO strong, Parmigiano-Reggiano actually gets lost in this sea of flavor, it's just a little to tame. If you must use cheese I would recommend going with Pecorino Romano it has enough wild backbone to stand up to the riot of flavors.

Mangia!!
~~