17.11.08

Hansel and Gretel had the right idea

I never understood before why some pasta recipes called for adding breadcrumbs to the dish. To me this seemed like gilding the lily but the cooler weather seemed to warrant pasta and perhaps the extra bit of something else so I thought I'd give it a try.

Pasta de Sardines
I decided to make my own version of this classic dish for Mary before we went to go see Ms. Atkins perform at the Bowery. I caramelized onions and then added garlic and half a tin of sardines that I mashed with a wooden spoon to make more of a sauce. Then I added hot pepper and currents and let the flavors mingle on low heat for a few minutes. Then I threw this on top of hot pasta with the rest of the sardines and added breadcrumbs and pine nuts. I loved how the breadcrumbs clung to the pasta and gave the dish an interesting texture. Mary thought it was weird, but I really liked it. I'm definitely pro-breadcrumb now and spent the rest of the weekend sprinkling them on everything.

4 comments:

  1. haha it is! maybe i'll bring it to your potluck...

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  2. ooooo....i LOVE sardines but have a hard time finding good recipes for them. must try this...

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  3. i use breadcrumbs to thicken soup or sauce. then there's the whole panko crusting craze. you can crust a turd in panko and people would think your julia childs.

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