In East Hampton, NY there is a tiny, local Italian market called Villa Italian Specialties.  They offer tasty sandwiches, pizza, pre-made pasta entrees and have a small grocery section with quirky pastas and sauces imported from Italy.  I came across this random pasta sauce, Vantia Pasta Sauce with Sardines & Fennel.  My first reaction was “absolutely not - gross”, but we’re always up for trying new things so I picked it up with some Fusilli Lunghi Col Buco (long spiral hollow pasta) and hoped for the best.  We added a bunch of fresh ingredients and some delicious shrimp and monkfish for an absolutely incredible and unique finished dish.  Eat up!    bigcitybelle

Seafood & Fennel Bucatini

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. large shrimp, deveined and butterflied (about 8 shrimp)

1/2 lb. monkfish fillet, cut into 2 inch cubes

1 cup sliced fennel

1 cup assorted wild mushrooms, chopped

1 cup fresh tomato, seeded and chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp. prepared pasta sauce with sardines & fennel (trust me here)  http://www.pennmac.com/items/2663

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat) parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 lb. bucatini pasta, cooked al dente in salted water (use Fusilli Lunghi Col Buco if you can find it)

white wine (1 cup to cook with, the rest for your glass)

olive oil

Kosher salt

black pepper

In a bowl, combine the cleaned shrimp and monkfish with 1 tbsp olive oil, Old Bay Seasoning and salt & pepper.  Set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, combine the fennel, 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Season well with salt & pepper.  Add about a 1/4 cup of white wine and saute until the fennel is tender.  Add mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes (do not overcook the mushrooms).  Remove the fennel & mushroom mixture and set aside.

Add the seafood the the same saute pan with a splash of white wine and the remaining garlic (2 cloves).  Cook over medium heat until the shrimp are pink and the monkfish is firm (it will only take a few minutes).  Add seafood to the fennel & mushroom mixture.

Heat 3 tbsp. the prepared fennel & sardine pasta sauce in the bottom of the saute pan with the chopped tomato.  Add the seafood, fennel & mushroom mixture, cooked pasta, parsley, Parmesan cheese and toss to combine.  Serve with lots of white wine.