Pasta with Fresh Sardines and Fennel

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This recipe has all kinds of great flavors. It uses fennel pollen, a spice harvested from fennel flowers that are collected at the peak of bloom, which has a sweeter and more intense flavor than the fennel seed.

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds fresh sardines
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 large bulb fennel, trimmed, halved, and chopped, fronds reserved and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 pound spaghetti
1 teaspoon fennel pollen
2 teaspoons minced or grated orange zest
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Procedure
To prepare the fresh sardines, scrape off any scales with a blunt knife; cut off fins. Cut off head and tail of each fish and slit open down the stomach. Pull out backbone and gut; open up fish and cut two fillets apart. Rinse well under cold running water to remove any blood; pat dry. Coarsely chop into small pieces, skin on.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons salt; return to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil in another large pot over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add chopped fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sardines and cook, stirring occasionally, until just opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.Add pasta to boiling water and cook, according to package directions, until just al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water.Add the pasta and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the sardine mixture; stir and toss over medium heat until pasta is well coated, adding a splash or two more of reserved pasta water, if necessary, to loosen the sauce. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; stir in half of the fennel fronds, half of the fennel pollen, if using, half of the orange zest, and half of the breadcrumbs.Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and top with remaining fennel fronds, pollen, zest, and breadcrumbs; serve immediately.

The 11 Best Foods We Never Eat

This is from a New York Times article from this summer. It's worth thinking about!

• Beets Rich in folate (which is a B vitamin), a potential cancer fighter. Try some Jewish borscht, or make roast beets and add them to your salad.
  
• Cabbage Full of cancer fighting enzymes, Sautéed as a side dish at dinner, coleslaw is easy and great on sandwiches.
  
• Swiss Chard Full of carotenoids, good for the eyes, sautéed greens are super healthy, cheap to buy, and really easy to grow.
  
• Cinnamon May help control blood sugar and cholesterol. Put it on everything!
  
• Pomegranate juice Full of antioxidants may lower blood pressure. Eat the fruit, drink the juice, reduce the juice into a syrup and add it to your vinaigrette.
  
• Prunes Packed with antioxidants. Use them in Hamentachen or other cookie fillings, or nice to serve with lamb.
  
• Pumpkin seeds Packed with magnesium, which is associated with lowering risk of early death. As a snack or on salads
  
• Sardines High in Omega-3. Loaded with calcium, as well as B vitamins and lots of other minerals. It’s an acquired taste. I like the French ones packed with good olive oil and a simple lemon slice. On rye bread with a little butter, Heaven!
  
• Turmeric The superstar of spices-has anti-inflammatory and anti cancer properties. Put a pinch in your eggs or on your veggies, makes food golden in color.
  
• Blueberries Helps improve memory, if you remember to eat them! Great in baked goods, cereal, yogurt, smoothies, or as a snack.
  
• Pumpkin High in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A. Canned is available all year and so easy to eat. Warm and mix with some butter, cinnamon, and honey or bake a pie.