Pasta Milanese

Although I had previously posted this, I made this again and wanted to show it to you once more. This is a great dish for Christmas eve, as it has sardines in it. My family upholds the feast of seven fiche on Christmas, so this counts as 1 of our 7 fish dishes.

Pasta Milanese is a traditional Sicilian dish. A Friday night Lenten staple in our home which combines cauliflower, fennel, anchovies and raisins over spaghetti and topped with toasted breadcrumbs. You'll need:

1 cup breadcrumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
6 anchovies
extra virgin olive oil
1 head cauliflower, chopped and steamed
1 14.5 oz can of condimento per pasta con sarde seasoning
12 oz tomato sauce
1 chicken bouillon
1 lb of spaghetti rigati (Barilla is what I use)

Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add a tablespoon olive oil. Toast breadcrumbs until golden, careful not to burn. Set aside.

Sauté onions and anchovies in oil on medium heat until anchovies melt and onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and pasta con sarde seasoning and simmer another 5 minutes. Add cooked cauliflower, chicken bouillion and pepper to taste and cook an additional 5 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package directions. When pasta is cooked, drain and toss into seasoning and mix well. Place in serving bowl with breadcrumbs sprinkled over pasta and serve.