Spaghetti anchovies and wild fennel, yes you’re right, this is the recipe for pasta with sardines but without sardines and with anchovies! I had gathered some wild fennel, I also have my secret spot in the countryside, where I collect this fantastic and healthy aromatic herb. As a good Sicilian, my first thought was like a flash, a light bulb going off, or rather a natural pairing. You gather and meanwhile think about what to do with it, but there’s not much to think about. Even if I don’t have sardines, the pasta is made anyway. Try it yourself and judge. The recipe is here on my blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 2
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All Seasons

677.62 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 677.62 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 63.86 (g) of which sugars 11.79 (g)
Proteins 36.87 (g)
Fat 32.08 (g) of which saturated 5.74 (g)of which unsaturated 8.60 (g)
Fibers 4.24 (g)
Sodium 2,209.83 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 290 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients for preparing spaghetti with anchovies and wild fennel

10.5 oz anchovies (fresh)
Half onion
1 packet saffron
4 fillets salted anchovies
0.7 oz pine nuts
0.07 oz raisins
2.1 oz breadcrumbs (from fresh bread)
1 bunch wild fennel
1.4 oz extra virgin olive oil
1.4 tsp salt
6.3 oz spaghetti

Tools for preparing spaghetti

Wok
Pot
Bowl
Colander
Wooden Spoon

Preparation of spaghetti with anchovies and wild fennel

Thinly slice the onion and together with the anchovies and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, let it cook for a few minutes.
Beat repeatedly with the wooden spoon over the anchovies and reduce them to a paste.
In a cup of hot water dissolve the saffron packet.
In the onion and salted anchovy sauté, add the deboned fresh anchovies.
After a few minutes of cooking, pour in the saffron water, also adding the pine nuts with the pre-soaked and squeezed raisins.
Clean and wash the wild fennel, put the pot on for the pasta water, and as soon as it boils, plunge in the fennel. Cook for 10 minutes without discarding the water, as it will be used to cook the pasta. Drain and chop the fennel into pieces.
With the heat off, add the boiled and chopped wild fennel to the rest of the sauce.
In the meantime, pass the breadcrumbs in a pan with oil and toast them.
Cook the spaghetti in the fennel cooking water and mix them with the anchovy sauce and toasted breadcrumbs.
Spaghetti with anchovies and wild fennel are ready!