Ingredients for 4 servings
400 g semolina flour
200 g of water
400 g of fresh sardines
6 spoons of Don Pietro extra virgin olive oil
50 g raisins
50 g breadcrumbs
20 g pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
1 chilli pepper,
salt and pepper
Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with water, drain when they become soft. Keep aside.
Prepare the pasta by placing the semolina on a wooden pastry board. Make a hole in the center and add the warm water, leaving aside a couple of spoons to use if necessary. Start kneading with a fork or directly with your hands, work the dough for at least twenty minutes until the surface is smooth. Cover the dough with a glass bowl or cling film, let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
The dough can also be prepared with the kneading machine, it will take a few minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan and set them aside.
Prepare the crispy crumbs in a pan with a clove of garlic cut in two and spoons of Don Pietro oil, heat without letting the garlic stain. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well, toast for a few minutes.
Clean the sardines, removing the head, tail, fins, scales, central bone and entrails. Wash and fillet them, then cut the fillet into small pieces.
If you buy the sardines from the fishmonger you can ask to clean them. If you buy frozen sardines they will already be clean but check for fish bones when you cut them.
Prepare a long wooden toothpick to roll the dough Divide the dough into two parts.
Keep the part you are not using covered to prevent it from drying out and compromising the making of the pasta.
Stretch the dough as if it were a sausage with a diameter of about 0.5 cm. Cut dough segments of about 5 cm. Take a segment and twist it a couple of times on the wooden stick. With your hands work from the center of the dough outwards until the strozzaprete is about 15 cm long. Arrange the pasta on a tray with a veil of semolina to prevent it from sticking.
Prepare the pasta sauce. In a pan, put 4 tablespoons of Don Pietro oil, a clove of garlic and a whole chilli pepper, heat over medium heat. Add the sardines, salt and cook for a few minutes. When the fish is cooked, add the drained raisins, the toasted pine nuts and a handful of fresh fennel. Turn off the heat and add a freshly ground pepper.
Bring a large pot with water to a boil. Season with salt and add the fresh pasta. If fennel stalks are left over, they can be added to the pasta water to increase the aroma.
Cook for about 8 minutes. The cooking time varies according to the thickness of the pasta itself; it could take even longer. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, toss the pasta for a few minutes.
Add a couple of tablespoons of Don Pietro Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Serve hot with a sprinkling of crunchy crumbs.
Notes:
If you can't find wild fennel, use the green fennel beard.
If you can't find the long cane toothpick, a skewer stick will work too. Do not use knitting needles or other metals not suitable for food use.
Strozzapreti can be frozen. Arrange the tray with the pasta spaced and leave to freeze for at least one night, then store them in a freezer bag. When it is time to use them, pour them into boiling water while still frozen and continue the recipe until cooked.
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