Wholemeal bigoli with sardines

(Bigoli integrali con sardine)

Serves 6

This dish is a staple in the Veneto region and comes in various forms. This version is one of the simplest, and my favourite. It is also the favourite dish of Pendolino sommelier Cristian Casarin, who grew up in a small town near Venice. Traditionally, the dish was made with home-cured freshwater sardines from lakes in or around the Veneto region. At the Pendolino and La Rosa restaurants, we cure our own sardines, and they are fantastic, although we have not been able to source freshwater sardines, only the saltwater type. Curing sardines is a great thing to do, but if you don’t like the smell of fish, I would recommend avoiding the activity at all costs as the aroma will stay on your hands for several days. Yes, it is one of the ‘favourite’ jobs at the restaurants! Saltwater sardines are widely used in the dish in Italy and are a great substitute. The ratio of sardines and onion can be varied depending on personal preference. Cristian likes lots and lots of both sardines and onions, particularly onions. Some people also add tomato.

300 g (10½ oz) whole cured sardines in salt

100 ml (3½ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to serve

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely sliced

100 ml (3½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) good-quality dried wholemeal (whole-wheat) bigoli (see Note)

fine sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse the sardines to remove any excess salt. Pat dry and then debone. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and then the garlic approximately 5 minutes later. Cook the onion and garlic until they are completely cooked and soft. Add the sardine flesh and cook until the flesh begins to break up. Turn up the heat, add the white wine and cook until the wine has nearly completely evaporated. While the sardines and onion are cooking, stir vigorously to break up the sardine flesh to make a sauce. Cook the pasta in abundant salted boiling water until al dente. A few minutes before the pasta is cooked, reheat the sardine sauce. Add the pasta to the sardine sauce and toss, adding as much additional extra virgin olive oil as desired. Season with the sea salt and black pepper, if required, and serve immediately.

NOTE: Bigoli are long, thick pasta tubes similar to bucatini. Traditionally, they were made with buckwheat flour, but nowadays they are more commonly made with wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour.