Zakary Pelaccio’s Pasta Con Sarde

If youre using salt-packed or oil-poached anchovies, rinse them, then soak themfor 20 to 30 minutes, changing the water once halfway through.

Drain them,remove and discard their backbones, and set the anchovies aside. Toast the bread in a toaster or a preheated 350F oven until its golden brown.When they have cooled a bit, put the toasted slices in a food processor and pulseto make fine crumbs. Youll need 3/4 cup.

Add half of the fennel fronds and all of the parsley to the crumbs and pulse a fewtimes to combine them well. Set aside. Soak the raisins in the Pernod for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or warm water if youprefer to not use Pernod) in a small bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap andset it aside in a warm spot. On a cutting board, chop the anchovy fillets with the minced garlic, then takethe flat part of a chefs knife and smear the ingredients into the board, scrapingacross the board as you smear. Scoop up the paste with the knife, form it into ablob, and repeat the smearing and scraping until you have a smooth paste.

Heat a small saut pan over medium heat for 1 minute.

Add the pine nuts to thedry pan and toast, tossing often (or else theyll burn!), just until they begin torelease their aroma and color slightly, about 3 minutes. Spill them onto a plate tocool. Once theyve cooled, give them a coarse chop. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it until it tastes like the ocean. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a straight-sided saut pan over medium heat.

Add the anchovy-garlic paste and cook, stirring often, until you smell the garlic,about 2 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, stirring to combine and coat the otheringredients, then add the diced tomato, remaining fennel fronds, and 1/4 cupwater. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to blend the flavors and thickenthe sauce slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the wild fennel or fennel pollen and the sardine fillets. Use a fork to roughlymash the fillets into the sauce, leaving the pieces in chunks. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the packageinstructs.

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.

Drain the raisins (sip on theinfused Pernod if you are feeling frisky), give them a coarse chop, and add themto the pasta along with the pine nuts. Toss it all together. Divide the pasta among four big bowls.

Sprinkle each with the herbed breadcrumbs and eat now.

More recipes from Zakary Pelaccio at Food Republic: Pork Fries Recipe Pasta Con Ricci Di Mare And don't forget to check out his column,Alimentary Canal.