Sardine Saturday

Enjoying this pasta dish, I reconnected with my Southern Italian roots. My Mom's grandparents' families were all from Italy and the Italian love of cooking, eating and sharing meals around the table was passed down from generation to generation. My mom was raised in the Mediterranean diet school of food; eat a wide variety of whole foods, fresh fruit and vegetables; nothing is off limits but moderation is key. My family lives by that food philosophy and make an effort of having family dinners every night. Sharing food with loved ones and eating together around the table gives me immense joy and comfort. I share my mom's passion and love for food; we adore trying new foods, hunting for new restaurants and experiencing the bliss of that first bite. Together, we prepared and ate this pasta this afternoon and caught up on life while savoring and bonding over every bite.

Prep time:

- 25 minutes

Serves:

- three people (give or take depending on how much you indulge)

Ingredients:

- 1/2 pound of whole wheat spaghetti

- 1 can of boneless sardines with olive oil

- 1 can of anchovies with olive oil

- 1 can of cannelloni beans

- yellow cherry tomatoes to taste

- 2 cloves of garlic

- extra virgin olive oil

- 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

- 1/2 medium onion

- 7 sprigs of cilantro

- 1 sprig of Italian parsley

- 1/2 lime

Equipment:

- cutting board

- knife

- a big wooden spoon for mixing

- skillet

- pot for pasta

- colander to drain the pasta

Cooking info:

- cut up the onion, garlic, cilantro and tomatoes into small pieces and set aside

- drain and rinse the beans in cold water and set aside

- put enough water in the pot to at least cover the pasta

- bring the water to a boil with hight heat and keep it on high heat until the pasta is done (al dente)

- add salt to taste to the pot

- Once the water boils, add the the salt and then the pasta

- Stir occasionally to prevent sticking

- Heat oil in a skillet and add the achieves right from the can and stir until dissolved

- add the cut up onion and garlic to the skillet and heat until golden (around one minute)

- add the sardines right from the can, beans and tomatoes to the skillet

- When the pasta has reached desired doneness, reserve some of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta add to the skillet

- mix everything until heated through (taste for seasoning)

- add the pasta water

- transfer pasta into a serving bowl

- add cilantro or flat italian parsley and crushed red pepper to garnish

- squeeze half a lime over the pasta before serving

- share the goodness and enjoy!

Discover your inner Italian. Buon Appetito!