Video: Pasta with Sardines

So many things I'd like to recount and not enough quiet time to recount them, especially right now since Teddy's on "spring break" and my mom and brother are in town visiting. But here I go anyway...

1. Thank you for your responses/comments on the two interviews I've done so far in the not-yet titled food and politics conversation series. I've got two more in the works, which I hope to share soon. Also, if there's anyone you'd like me (to try) to talk to, please let me know! 

2. Teddy is pretty into Moana. (If you run into him, the chances are high that he will tell you, "I'm Maui! I have a magical hook!") I bought the soundtrack and now we cruise around town listening to it. Though I haven't seen the movie (Matt took him a few months ago.), I think the music is so good. And for some reason (because of the grandma and Moana finally learning to trust her inner voice?), the tenth track, "I am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)" is enough to bring me to tears while driving. A lot of the music was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and can I just say: that guy is a national treasure! (Love the music of Hamilton and this Fresh Air interview with him too.) 

3. Sardine pasta! This is a controversial meal in my family; the first time I made it, Matt ate a fairly large portion and then declared that he didn't like it. Hmmm? I chalk these mixed feelings of Matt's up to what I see as his aversion to / wariness of fish in general. For example: he likes smoked salmon and will eat raw salmon in sushi, but he doesn't like salmon in any other format. Either way, according to Matt, the sardine flavor in this pasta was a little too intense for him. In short, the next time I make this, I'll have to make less since I couldn't quite finish a pound of pasta on my own in a timely-ish manner.

Pasta with Sardines slightly adapted from An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
serves 4

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 can olive-oil-packed sardines
1 lb. dried spaghetti
salt
1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
1 cup toasted breadcrumbs
grated Parmesan
dried chile flakes (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the sardines and their olive oil. Fry as you break the sardines up with a wooden spoon. Once the sardines have been broken down, turn the heat off.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. While it’s cooking, chop the parsley, removing any pieces of thick stems. Just before pulling the pasta, scoop out about a cup of the pasta water and set aside.

When the pasta is almost al dente, turn the heat back on under the pan of sardines; remove the pasta from its pot with tongs and drop it directly into the pan. Start by adding about ¼ cup of the pasta water and mix the sardines and the onions through the pasta. Add more water if it seems at all dry. When the noodles and sauce are nicely mixed, add half the breadcrumbs and parsley and mix them through.

Serve the pasta in bowls, topped with more breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan, and dried chile.