The Best Sicilian Pasta Con Le Sarde Recipe 

 Savor the flavors of Sicily with this Pasta con le Sarde recipe, featuring sardines, fennel, raisins, and pine nuts, all tossed with long pasta in a rich, aromatic sauce. 

 

pasta con le sarde in a large skillet

 

What is Pasta con le Sarde (Sardine Pasta Recipe)

 

Pasta con le sarde is a traditional Sicilian dish that combines the flavors of Southern Italy with a unique blend of ingredients. The dish features long pasta like spaghetti or bucatini, tossed with a savory sauce made from sautéed onions and wild fennel, which imparts a unique flavor combination. Garlic adds depth to the dish, while a splash of white wine rehydrates sweet raisins or currants, creating a delightful contrast. 

 

Boneless, skinless sardines packed in oil, along with anchovies, contribute a rich, briny flavor. Toasted pine nuts offer a nutty crunch, and the dish is often garnished with fennel fronds and optional toasted breadcrumbs for added texture. The result is a delicious and flavorful pasta dish that transports you straight to Sicily!

 

a bowl of pasta with a fork

 

Why You’ll Love This Pasta con le Sarde Recipe

 

The goal here is to, yes, teach you how to make the most popular Sicilian Pasta con le Sarde dish, but also to introduce you to sardines. Sardines are very overlooked because people have no idea what they are and assume they’re going to be fishy and gross. Or people confuse them with anchovies which are VERY different.  

 

Like anything, there are options when it comes to sardines – fresh sardines from the fish market or cooked and packed in water or olive oil, with skin or skinless, with bones or boneless, plain or smoked. They do not contain mercury, are loaded with anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats and they are very inexpensive. I prefer the boneless, skinless ones packed in oil. If you prefer, you can swap in jarred tuna or canned salmon for the sardines in this recipe. Or vice versa – swap sardines in for canned tuna!

 

This is NOT a pasta dish that is typically served with cheese. But I’m not in charge of what you eat, so you do you. If you want to cut the quantity of pasta in half and swap in zucchini noodles, I approve! I know you will enjoy the incredible flavors of this dish– it’s a staple in Italian cuisine and for good reason! 

 

Recipe Highlights

 

  • Inexpensive dish; 
  • loaded with anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats; 
  • will take you to Sicily if you are not going there yourself!

 

Ingredient Notes

 

recipe ingredients

 

    • Onion – I use a medium onion.  
    • Fennel – has a licorice flavor. You can consume it raw or cooked. It goes well with seafood. I save some of the fronds for garnish and I’ll freeze the rest of the fronds to make vegetable stock. 
    • Garlic – I like having a jar of peeled garlic (that I peel myself) in the fridge. Total game changer. 
    • White wine – No need to use an expensive bottle of wine for cooking. Anything under $18 is fine. I like to use sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio. 
    • Anchovies – are really small fish. They are smaller than sardines. 
    • Canned Sardines – I use boneless, skinless sardine fillets packed in oil (the tinned variety). Sardines with the bones are a great source of calcium and they’re very soft.  You can save the oil from the tins to cook the fennel and onions. 
    • Raisins – add a nice sweetness to this dish. You can use red or golden raisins or currants. I add them with the wine so it helps rehydrate them. 
    • Pine nuts – are the edible seeds of pines. I toast them in a skillet (with no oil) until golden brown. Be careful when toasting nuts or seeds on the stove because they can go from golden to burned in a matter of seconds. Skip if you can’t find reasonably priced pine nuts.
    • Pasta – you can use your favorite pasta here, but a long, thin pastas like spaghetti or bucatini is traditional. Be sure to save some of the pasta water before draining. 
    • Breadcrumbs – are completely optional. Feel free to use them for garnish if you’d like. 
    • Salt and black pepper to taste.

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

fennel with oil from sardines in a skillet

 

In a large skillet that is big enough to fit the pasta, warm the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Next, add the onion and fennel and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent and the fennel has almost softened– about 6 minutes.

 

sautéed fennel and onions

 

Add the garlic, salt, pepper, fennel seeds (if using), and crushed red pepper and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and currants and cook until the liquid is almost fully reduced.

 

a pan with sauteed ingredients and a wooden spoon

 

Now, Add the anchovies and sardines, breaking them up in the pan with a wooden spoon, until heated through. Then, add the pine nuts and toss to combine.

 

adding pasta water to the skillet of pasta

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the boiling water with a handful of kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water (about 1 cup) before draining the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan with the sardine mixture and toss to combine. You can add some of the pasta cooking water or a drizzle of olive oil to the pasta mixture if it looks a little dry. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.

 

finished pasta con le sarde in a skillet

 

Recipe Tips

 

  • You can serve it with toasted bread crumbs if you’d like. I generally don’t, but they provide a nice texture.
  • To toast pine nuts, add them to a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir them around frequently until golden brown. Immediately transfer them to a plate so they don’t continue to brown in the hot skillet.
  • Feel free to use the oil in the can of sardines to sauté the fennel and onions. 
  • After you add the sardines, try not to break them up too much.  They’ll get broken up as you toss the pasta.
  • I like to save extra pasta water to add to the pasta if it looks a little dry or when reheating leftovers. 
  • If your fennel wasn’t sold with the fronds, use a little fresh herbs like parsley for garnish.
  • If you want to get fancy, heat up the wine and crumble in a big pinch of saffron and let it dissolve for 10 minutes, and then add the saffron-infused wine mixture as directed in Step 2.
  • You can garnish with red pepper flakes for a little added heat if desired. 

 

a close up photos showing sardines mixed with pasta noodles

 

Substitutions 

 

  • Sardines – jarred tuna or canned salmon
  • Make it plant-based – omit the anchovies and sardines, and add in a can of chickpeas, drained and smashed + ¼ cup capers.
  • Anchovies – these have a very salty, distinctive flavor.  Feel free to omit if they’re not your thing. 
  • Fennel – use more onion, omit, or try sliced celery or fennel seeds
  • Pasta – You can cut the quantity of pasta in half and swap in zucchini noodles.
  • Here are some other ways to try tinned sardines. Just read the package to make sure you’re getting what you want, such as in oil, with bones or boneless etc.
    •  In a salad in place of tuna, an easy one to try is in a Nicoise Salad
    • On toast with tomatoes and smashed avocado
    • Chop them up and stir them into tomato sauce
    • Swap them in place of other canned fish in a fish cake or fish patty
    • Chop them up and add them to braised greens
    • They’re natural with potatoes. Add them to my Italian Potato Salad

 

a fork lifting pasta out of a skillet

 

More Delicious Recipes

Pasta with melted zucchini sauce

Cod Acqua Pazza

Seven Fishes Seafood Salad

Fish in parchment with fennel, citrus and olives

Branzino fillets with green olive and fennel tapenade

Spetses Braised Cod

 

If you give this pasta con le sarde recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates, and things I’ve been loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class!  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!

 

 

 
 
 

 
 
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Pasta con le Sarde

Pamela
5 from 2 votes
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil (feel free to use the oil from the sardine tins)
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 fennel bulb very thinly sliced, fronds reserved
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional: ½ teaspoon fennel seeds crushed on a cutting board with a knife
  • Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio
  • cup dried currants or raisins try golden raisins if you can find them
  • 6 anchovies about a 1.5 to 2-ounce jar (optional)
  • 3 4-ounce tins sardines packed in oil, drained (you can use the oil to sauté the vegetables)
  • ¼ cup pine nuts toasted* (optional or use another nut like walnuts)
  • 1 pound pasta of your choice the dish is typically made with BUCATINI, a hollow spaghetti
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil in a skillet if you like for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large pan that is big enough to fit the pasta, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent and the fennel has almost softened, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, salt, pepper, fennel seeds (if using), and crushed red pepper and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and currants and cook until the liquid is almost fully reduced.
  • Add the anchovies and sardines, breaking them up in the pan with a wooden spoon, until heated through. Add the pine nuts and toss to combine.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with a handful of kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water (about 1 cup) before draining the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan with the sardine mixture and toss to combine. You can add some pasta water or a drizzle of olive oil to the pasta mixture if it looks a little dry. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.

Notes

You can serve with toasted breadcrumbs if you’d like.
*To toast pine nuts, add them to a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir them around frequently until golden brown. Immediately transfer them to a plate so they don’t continue to brown in the hot skillet.
Make it plant-based: omit the anchovies and sardines, and add in a can of chickpeas, drained and smashed + ¼ cup capers.
Here are some other ways to try tinned sardines. Just read the package to make sure you’re getting what you want, such as in oil, bone-in or boneless etc.
• In a salad in place of tuna, an easy one to try is in a Nicoise Salad
• On toast with tomatoes and smashed avocado
• Chop them up and stir them into tomato sauce
• Swap them in place of other canned fish in a fish cake or fish patty
• Chop them up and add them to braised greens
• They’re natural with potatoes. Add them to my Italian Potato Salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic, Lemon, Pine Nuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano Recipe

roasted asparagus with parmigiano-reggiano and pine nuts

recipe ingredients

When asparagus is in season, it’s a sign to me that we are out of the winter woods and it is officially spring!! I love featuring asparagus on every spring holiday menu and this recipe for roasted asparagus with parmigiano-reggiano has so much flavor and is so easy.  I thought I would squeeze it in before Easter in case you’re looking for a good side dish.Continue reading

Kale Pesto Recipe

When I was a child, my family ate pesto all the time in the summer and early fall.  In fact, to me the smell of basil, garlic and cheese in the food processor is synonymous with warm, lazy days at the beach or on my parents’ hammock under a big, breezy tree.  It was one of the few things my mom made without a recipe because she made it so often and could likely do it in her sleep.  Also, my father always planted way too much basil so Mom was forced to use it  up more quickly than it grew.  Traditional basil pesto is the only pesto that I ever knew until I started over-planting my favorite herb, parsley, and mixing it with basil for an ever better (in my opinion) pesto.

But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I heard about the huge spectrum of pestos out there not made from basil but from all sorts of herbs like cilantro and mint to leafy greens such as spinach and arugula and even peas or sun dried tomatoes.  The result is a brave new world of pesto-adorned dishes beyond pasta in the summertime.  The good news is that all pestos are super simple to make and help me make my boring meals more exciting.  “Another turkey sandwich?”  No, a turkey sandwich with pesto!  Oooh, ahhh.  “Grilled fish” doesn’t have the same appeal as “grilled salmon with cilantro pesto!”  Although when I introduced kale pesto to my family, they were skeptical.

Kale, which is my absolute favorite superfood, is more nutrient-dense than most any food on the planet, so I try to incorporate it into our meals however I can.  I love how hearty and flavorful kale is, but it can be a little bitter for the kids if I don’t try to work around that.  My standard pesto is made with pine nuts or pine nuts and walnuts.  Both are soft nuts that get ground very easily, but can be also be a tad bitter.  So I subbed blanched almonds to keep the pesto from getting too harsh and loved it, even though almonds don’t grind up quite as finely.  The only other change I made was to add a touch of lemon juice which brightens the whole thing up and again, cuts any bitterness.

I made kale pesto in two different ways.  The first with all kale and the second with mostly kale plus basil.  All kale pesto tastes reminiscent of broccoli which makes sense since they’re both in the cruciferous family.  It’s so totally yummy with a hearty whole wheat or spelt pasta, stirred into soups like lentil, mushroom-barley or minestrone or slathered on a quesadilla with leftover roasted veggies and cheese.  I imagine it would be great on a baked potato with veggies or in an omelet with goat cheese and mushrooms.  Then I made another version with mostly kale and some basil and it tastes much more like the version you’re used to, but more substantial and maybe with a little more bite.  So many people in my classes this month thought it was even better than an all-basil pesto.  In class we ate it poured on a grilled chicken paillard.  Sunday, I took some pasta with kale-basil pesto and chickpeas in Chinese takeout containers for a beach picnic and then used the leftovers yesterday on a grilled whole wheat pizza with ricotta, sauteed garlic spinach and fresh mozzarella.  Insane.

Feel free to use whatever kale you can find, but the curly green variety tends to get processed more finely in the food processor if that matters.  Although in these photos I did use the Dinosaur (Tuscan) variety because I typically have that on hand for salad and juicing.  However you try it, and I hope you do, pesto is a busy cook’s good friend anytime of year.  Tell me your favorite ways to enjoy it!

Kale Pesto

Pamela

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup blanched almonds walnuts, pine nuts or a combination (use sunflower seeds for a nut-free pesto)
  • 1 large garlic clove smashed
  • 3 cups kale dinosaur or curly green, stemmed and torn into large pieces (so it’s easier to measure)
  • 2 cups basil leaves or use all kale
  • ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ cup unrefined cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup grated Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese

Instructions
 

  • Toast nuts, stirring frequently, in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly golden. If you are a “nut-burner,” just skip this step and put them in the food processor raw. Remove from heat and allow to cool. If you're using sunflower seeds, just use those raw.
  • Place nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until very finely chopped.
  • Add kale, basil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and pulse until chopped.
  • With the food processor running, add olive oil in a steady stream until you achieve a smooth texture. Add cheese and process until well combined.
  • Taste for seasoning and add additional olive oil to make a looser pesto.

Notes

*Pesto freezes really well!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill

I know it’s still February, but I think a spring bug bit me.  The new strawberries, asparagus, sugar snap peas and artichokes were calling my name last weekend at the farmer’s market and I felt myself thinking ahead to the next season. Just noticing that the sun is setting later and later is making me giddy.  Yesterday I was working at home and felt inspired to make one of my favorite quinoa dishes with baby spinach, fresh dill and mint.  It was like a bowl of fresh air.

This salad is based on the ingredients in spanakopita, the very rich and tasty Greek pie made from layers of phyllo dough (and butter), stuffed with cheese, spinach and herbs.  My friend John gave me his mother, Libby’s heavenly recipe for spanakopita which I have been making for at least 10 years now, but not quite as often as I used to since loads of dairy, processed wheat and fat aren’t friendly to a certain someone.  So these days spanakopita makes an appearance only once a year at our Yom Kippur break-the-fast dinner.  Don’t feel sorry for me too fast.

Since I still crave those flavors, I came up with a lighter and fresher way to enjoy them.  Hence this salad was born.   Would you think I was lying if I told you I like this quinoa just as much, maybe more than spanakopita?  Of course, I acknowledge this is still a salad and not a flaky, buttery hot mess of three kinds of cheese bound by chopped spinach.  But I do like this quinoa better!!  I like that it’s fresh, zingy and makes me feel energized instead of weighed down.  Quinoa has that effect on me.  It’s gluten-free and full of high quality protein, fiber and healthful minerals.  For something so nutritious, it is also bouncy and light.  Plus I can prepare this salad in a faction of the time it takes me to butter 20 sheets of phyllo dough.

My girls came home from school yesterday and polished off what was left in the serving bowl.  I was hoping to ask Mr. Picky to try one bite.  In the past, he has only been willing to eat the spinach leaves after he wiped them clean with his napkin.  But lately I’ve noticed he has been a little more tolerant of quinoa, not minding if a spoonful or two gets mixed in with some kale salad or sugar snap peas.  This is part of the slow and steady process to which I have committed.

For those of you with actual dietary restrictions or aversions, this is an incredibly flexible recipe.  Vegans and dairy-free people can omit the feta and add some kalamata olives for a salty bite.  I know there are mint-haters out there (really? very hard to believe!), so feel free to leave that out, especially since Libby’s recipe calls for only dill.  And for those of you who would rather not use pine nuts, I have also used sliced almonds or roasted pistachios before with success.  I love quinoa with a little crunch.  This salad is the perfect lunch or light dinner on its own, but I have also served this with dozens of different sides including roasted carrots and beets, grilled zucchini,  sauteed green beans with shallots or minted snap peas.  Can you say “Spring It On?!”

 

Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Feta and Dill

Pamela
5 from 5 votes
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa RINSED (see Step 1)
  • Sea salt
  • ½ cup pine nuts toasted (optional)
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced or 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 6 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves 3 ounces
  • ½ cup chopped fresh dill
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh mint optional
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 ounces feta preferably made from goat or sheep’s milk
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Instructions
 

  • Rinse quinoa in a bowl with water or place quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain and transfer to a medium saucepan with a pinch of sea salt and 1 ¾ cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let sit, covered for 10 minutes. Quinoa can remain in the pot until ready to combine with other salad ingredients or transfer to a serving bowl and fluff with a fork. Allow quinoa to cool slightly.
  • To the quinoa add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. * Or you can place the spinach on a serving platter and toss with 1 Tablespoon of the lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. Combine quinoa with remaining ingredients and mound on top of the spinach leaves. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Other additions can include Kalamata olives, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and/or fresh corn kernels.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

Basil Parsley Pesto Recipe

 

basil-parsley pesto | pamela salzman

I am willing to bet that I have eaten more pesto in my life than all of you.  Let me give you a little background.  My father has an expert green thumb and has maintained amazing gardens throughout my life.  Every year, he plants one large plot with a wide variety of beautiful vegetables, including tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, arugula, kale, and so on.  And he also plants one plot of basil.  Just basil.  And every year he has so many basil plants that he has to give them away.  Same story this year.  “Pamela.  I have enough basil plants for all of New York.”  I know what you’re thinking.  Why does your father overplant basil every year?  Trust me, don’t ask.

Well, it’s a good thing we all liked basil growing up!  Because as you might imagine, we were putting it on everything, from our morning eggs to tomato salads to sauteed green beans to macerated strawberries.  But using a few handfuls of green leaves everyday was not putting a dent into our basil farm.  My father would rant and rave (in Italian).  “Do we not eat basil in this house?  I planted so much beautiful basil and no one eats it.  Mah!”  I can still picture the kitchen sink most summer mornings with freshly cut bushes of basil.  “Pamela, if we don’t pick it now, it will turn to seed and then the plant will die.”  Really?  Well I heard you can die from a basil overdose.

My mother had no choice but to turn to pesto.  What better way to use an overabundance of the herb?  Mom pulled out the blender and ground up pine nuts and fresh garlic.  She packed down as much basil as would fit, sprinkled it with salt and with the motor running, slowly poured in the olive oil.  That distinctive aroma would fill the house and still today reminds me of the summers of my youth.  Next came the grated parmesan cheese and we had glorious pesto.  I say glorious, because my sisters and I loved it.  I think my mother probably would have started drinking hard liquor if we didn’t.

Lucky for me that I married someone who loves pesto and gave birth to kids who do, too.  We put it on lots of things — pasta, sandwiches, grilled vegetables, ho-hum chicken or fish, minestrone soup, scrambled eggs, boiled potatoes, pizza and so on.  But I make it my own way with a combination of pine nuts and walnuts; pecorino-romano, which is made from sheep’s milk cheese and a little easier for some to digest than cow’s milk; and dare I say, with half basil and half parsley.  I am obsessed with parsley, which I consider a superfood.  It is loaded with chloropyhll and incredibly rich in nutrients from iron to calcium to Vitamin C.  But parsley also contains some interesting volatile oil compounds that are considered to be “chemoprotective,” which means they can help neutralize certain carcinogens.  The flavor of a basil-parsley pesto is still dominated by basil, but somehow a little lighter.  I actually prefer it to an all-basil pesto.  Of course, the real reason I even started to do half and half is because I always manage to plant way too much parsley.

basil-parsley pesto | pamela salzman

Basil-Parsley Pesto

Pamela
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

  • makes 2 cups
  • ¼ cup raw walnuts
  • ¼ cup raw pine nuts
  • 1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 2 ½ cups basil leaves lightly packed
  • 2 ½ cups flat-leaf parsley leaves lightly packed
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • couple of grinds of black pepper
  • 1 cup unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup grated pecorino-romano or parmesan cheese**

Instructions
 

  • Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until finely chopped.
  • Add the basil and parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Start the food processor and slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the parmesan cheese and puree until well blended. Pesto freezes beautifully.

Notes

**To make a dairy-free/vegan version, eliminate the salt and cheese and substitute ¼ cup brown rice miso or other hearty miso. Taste for salt.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts recipe

 

sautéed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

Swiss Chard is one of the most nutritious greens you can find year-round.  It is related to beets – in fact, beet greens taste very similar to Swiss chard.  Do eat your dark green leafy vegetables regularly as they are among the most nutrient-dense foods you can choose.  Traditional Chinese Medicine considers green to be the master color, and I think it is the color that should dominate our diet.  Like other green leafies, Swiss chard is full of Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Folate, Vitamin C and Carotenoids, with few calories – a nutritional bargain!

sautéed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

 

My maternal grandmother was Sicilian and she used to make this dish with raisins.   One night, this was on the dinner menu and I went to the pantry to reach for raisins and we were out.  Gasp.  But we had dried apricots.  So I soaked a handful of apricots to plump them up a bit and presto, I liked the dish better!  If your kids are not fond of greens yet, try this recipe with their favorite dried fruit.

sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

 

Heck, let them put a few chocolate chips on the chard if it will get them to eat their greens.  One step at a time … soon chard might be a staple in your kitchen, too.

sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts|pamela salzman

 

sauteed swiss chard with dried apricots and pine nuts recipe

Pamela Salzman
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup unsulphured dried apricots about 10
  • 2 bunches Swiss chard (about 2 pounds), washed but not dried
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
  • Optional: best quality balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Place the dried apricots in a bowl with hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain. Chop coarsely or slice into slivers.
  • Separate the Swiss chard stems from the leaves. Dice the stems and keep separate. Coarsely chop the leaves.
  • Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped chard leaves and apricots. Lightly season with sea salt and pepper and sauté until the leaves are tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve immediately or at room temperature. You can also drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar, if desired.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!