Pasta with Pine Nuts, Broccoli, Sardines & Fennel

Ingredients

Contains: wheat, tree nuts, fish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a splash
• 500g bucatini or long pasta, like spaghetti
• 500g purple sprouting broccoli, stalks halved if very large
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• 50g salted sardines, or good-quality canned sardines in oil
• 25g pine nuts
• 25g raisins
• juice and zest ½ lemon
• chilli flakes

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Put the raisins in a small bowl, cover with hot water and leave for 10 minutes to plump, then drain.

2. Bring a large pan of boiling water to the boil. Add the bucatini and cook for 2 minutes less than the packet time. Add the broccoli for the final 3 minutes, then drain both, reserving a mug of cooking water.

3. While the pasta cooks, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until golden. Set aside.

4. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the red onions and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden.

5. Add the fennel and garlic and cook for 4 minutes until tender. Stir in the chilli flakes.

6. Add the sardines and break them up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes until warmed through and flaking, then stir in the drained raisins.

7. Add the drained pasta and broccoli to the pan with a splash of the reserved pasta water and a splash of olive oil. Toss over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy, adding more pasta water if dry.

8. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest, scatter over the toasted pine nuts and serve at once.