Dinner Tonight: Venetian Spaghetti with Sardines
"It tastes a bit like clam chowder on pasta," came the observation after I'd served this to my fiancée. When that comment was met with silence—the silence of a cook's slightly bruised ego—her follow-up went, "But I mean that as a good thing!"
I aspire to greater culinary heights than stew on noodles, so I tucked into my portion to come up with a better description of this admittedly unusual pasta. But she was exactly right: This tastes just like clam chowder. And it really was a good thing.
Not that there are any clams to be found—just the ultrahealthy and ultracheap sardine, onions, and a little milk which almost melt to combine as a gently flavored and slightly thick sauce. It coats the pasta beautifully. As per the recommendation of Food & Wine magazine, where I found the recipe, we had it with a nicely acidic white wine, which highlighted the brininess of the sardines. And if the little canned buggers scare you off, keep in mind they are finely chopped and softened in the milk, giving up a lot of their fishiness and adding a luxurious flavor.
About the author: Blake Royer founded The Paupered Chef with Nick Kindelsperger, where he writes about food and occasional travels. He is currently living in Tartu, Estonia, for the year.
Venetian Spaghetti with Sardines
-serves 4-
Adapted from Food & Wine.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
One 4-ounce can olive-oil-packed
1 cup whole milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound spaghetti
Procedure
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook gently for 20 minutes until very soft and just beginning to turn golden.
2. In the meantime, drain, bone and finely chop the sardines. Bring a pot of salty water to boil.
3. When the onions are cooked, add the sardines and a splash of water to the onions and heat through. Add the milk and bring to a slight boil, then turn the heat to a simmer and cook until the sardines melt and the sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and add to the sauce, reserving some pasta water in case it gets dry. Toss to coat, season with salt and lots of pepper, and serve.
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13 Comments:
You left out "Sardines" in "One 4-ounce can olive-oil-packed" in your ingredients list
claypot at 6:31PM on 03/24/09
Bone the sardines? I didn't know you could even do that. Is it really necessary? My Tiny Tots are so teeny that it would be very hard to do.
Likeswords at 7:23PM on 03/24/09
Ha! My boyfriend gives me the same... lackluster... comments on my food sometimes so I can appreciate this :-)
The recipe sounds great - I'll be sure to try it and hide the can of sardines so no one knows what's in it before they try it. Ahh... the "joys" of living with non-foodies!
SaraSaraT at 10:22PM on 03/24/09
This sounds really good, being that I love both clam chowder and sardines! But do you think it would be weird to just let the bones in there and crush them/chop them up with the fish? They're so tiny, and they're a pain to try to get out since they just fall apart (I used to take them out before I knew they were okay to eat).
cycorider at 11:42PM on 03/24/09
It's like a carbonara or alla gricia with sardines instead of guaunciale. . .
joeqboo at 10:04AM on 03/25/09
I thought this was really tasty and super cheap; a winner in my book.
ECA at 9:01PM on 03/25/09
Blake, any follow-up on the boning question? Inquiring minds . . .
Likeswords at 11:43AM on 03/27/09
Hey, all -- about the boning, it's probably not necessary, and also depends on the sardines you buy. The can I bought had two large fish inside and the spines were quite big. I found it easy to split the fish lengthwise and lift it out. Other cans I've bought in the past, though, had 4 little fish instead, and the bones were negligible.
In short, up to you!
Blake Royer at 12:09PM on 03/27/09
Love this. I am definitely trying it soon...perfect for no meat Fridays!
imafoodblogdotcom at 10:43AM on 03/30/09
I tried this over the weekend, and liked it for a change of pace from my usual non-creamy pasta sauces. I didn't bother boning my sardines. If you can get away with it, leave the bones in. They're a good source of calcium. I used white wine instead of water because it was kicking around and I thought it could use a little acidity, and I used half and half, because that's what I had, though I'm sure it would have been plenty creamy as written. I also added a bit of cayenne pepper, as I do to almost all cream sauces. Not enough to make it spicy, but just enough to liven it up. I think it was a great addition for balance, as the slow cooked onions got quite sweet.
Elena3141 at 1:59PM on 03/30/09
I wanted to like this one, but it didn't turn out so great unfortunately. Not recommended if you're on the fence.
YummyNums at 2:17AM on 04/03/09
My boyfriend and I loved this. We're making it again tonight, but we're going to add some sauteed mushrooms to cut the "fishiness" a little bit. And I didn't bother boning the sardines. Actually, I didn't even bother chopping them too finely - just broke them up with a spoon while they cooked.
jengrowsinbklyn at 2:28PM on 04/08/09
I made this last night for dinner and was pleasantly surprised. It was definitely greater than the sum of its parts. However, it didn't taste anything like clam chowder, which is what led me to making this in the first place. I used lemon juice instead of water and added fresh parsley as well.
ErikaWaz at 12:09PM on 04/10/09