Having spent 3 lovely days in Paris to visit family and friends, we came back to an empty fridge on Sunday morning with very little motivation to go out and do our weekly shop. It’s in moments like these that your well stocked pantry will come into use.
At around the same time, my cousin messaged to thank me for the sardines I had gifted him in his Christmas stocking. He had cooked a lovely sardines pasta and it reminded me of the many tins I had in my cupboards. Lunch done!
My love affair with canned fish started long before we moved to Portugal but I must say it has only grown since being here. Long a popular element of Portuguese cuisine, canned fish appears in all sorts of beautifully decorated tin boxes. Beyond the better known tinned tuna, options are plentiful, from mackerel fillets to razor clams, mussels in spicy sauce, and octopus in olive oil. And because big flavours come in small packages, if you have tuna, sardines, or anchovies in your pantry, you’re already on your way to a flavour packed meal. It’s about turning the ordinary into something special!
Plus have I mentioned these little fishes are sustainable, long-lasting and healthy! I mean what else can you ask for? Oh and I forgot they are cheap. That’s why they’re the essential staples you should never go without. They are my go to lunch on the go, on toasted sourdough with salted butter, eaten with a few tomatoes or a green salad. So stock up with pride, you won't be disappointed.
This week’s recipe is one the best store cupboard meals I can think of; sardine spaghetti with Pangrattato. Tinned tomatoes, capers, olives, sardines, spaghetti and old bread are all things that have a permanent fixture in my kitchen.
Sardine pasta with Pangrattato
Makes: 4 adult servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
PASTA
Olive oil
salt
1 fennel bulb (optional)
1 can of tinned tomatoes
A splash of white wine (optional)
One tin of sardines
1 spoonful of capers
Pitted olives
150gr of bucatini or spaghetti
PANGRATTATO
Olive oil
3 slices of stale bread
1 lemon zest
A handful of parsley
One garlic bulb
INSTRUCTIONS
Start with the Pangratatto, it keeps for weeks in an airtight container.
Blitz the stale bread, garlic and parsley in a food processor until you get crumbs. It doesn't have to be too fine.
Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan on a medium-high heat with the breadcrumbs. Fry until golden and keep stirring regularly. Tip into a bowl, grate the lemon zest, stir and put aside.
On to the pasta…
Heat the oil in a medium pan, and cook the finely chopped fennel in olive oil, until soft. Add a splash of white wine and wait until the alcohol has evaporated.
In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water according to pack instructions.
Then add the garlic to the fennel, cook for 2-3 minutes. Once cooked add the tomatoes and sardines, breaking up roughly with a wooden spoon. Heat for 2-3 mins, then stir in the olives and capers. Mix well to combine.
Drain the pasta, reserving a couple of tbsp of the water. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well, adding the reserved water if the sauce is a little thick. Divide between 4 bowls and sprinkle with the pangrattato.
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Let me quickly talk you through pangrattato, AKA as poor man’s parmesan. Pangrattato is my answer to throwing away stale bread. It is great to use up leftover bits and pieces. Think about flavoured crispy, crunchy breadcrumbs to sprinkle over your finished pasta, soup, stew, gratin or even salad. I go through phases where I sprinkle pangrattato on everything I eat. It adds flavour but also incredible texture to any meal.
I like my breadcrumbs blitzed with lemon, parsley and garlic. But you could also:
Add chilli flakes. They elevate a simple dish or roasted vegetables
Add chorizo or lardons, and cook with the crumbs. Great over a simple green salad or sprinkled over fish or on Mac n cheese.
Blitz bread with garlic and basil. Add pine nuts to the crumb mixture and cook until golden, sprinkle with Parmesan when everything is warm. Makes a quick crust for a piece of fish or some chicken.
Enjoy the cooking.
Until next time x