Homecooked: Pasta con Sarde and turmeric chicken

Every now and then, I would be inspired to whip up some new recipe in the kitchen. This is mostly inspired by something that is expiring in the pantry that I need to cook creatively. Hahaha! I had some parmesan cheese and linguine that has been in the cabinet and fridge for the longest time. I checked, they weren't expired yet but I do need to use them soon to avoid wastage.

I bought some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil at the Sunday market, then cooked this simple pasta with sardines dish.

Here are  the ingredients.

about 400 g of linguine cooked according to package instructions

butter

olive oil

6-8 cloves of garlic (more if you like), chopped

bottle of Spanish style sardines

about a cup of fresh basil leaves

8-10 cherry tomatoes cut in two

So I asked my husband to buy the sardines at the nearby grocery. He asked me what kind, in oil or the Spanish style. I got a little bit confused since I cooked a similar dish in the past (minus the vegetables) so I thought he should know. I said Spanish style, in the bottle. 

He said he didn't hear me say the last part (bottle) because he brought home 555 Spanish-style sardines. He says he didn't see the bottled kind. Sure...mostly likely, he didn't really look since he didn't hear me say bottled, right? I would have gone myself but I was already starting with the noodles and preparing the other ingredients since it was almost lunch time. Anyway, he did offer to go back and look for the ones I requested originally. I said I will just work with what we have since it's already there. In fairness, it turned out ok. I feel though that the bottled sardines are more tasty and packed compared to the canned type though of course it is more expensive. I still prefer the bottled kind for this recipe.

Here's how I made do with the sardines I had. I sauteed the garlic in butter and olive oil. I probably used 1/4 cup of the butter and oil (combined). You can add some more olive oil later if you feel the pasta is too dry. I then added the cherry tomatoes and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Next, I added the pasta. Make sure to mix everything well. Then add the basil leaves.

Pasta con sarde

Pasta con sarde with a side of turmeric chicken

I thought of cooking something on the side to pair with the pasta. I didn't really have too much time to think about it so I thought turmeric chicken would be fine. I just fried chicken thigh fillet that I rubbed with salt, pepper, turmeric and garlic powder.

Simple and fast recipe that can be enjoyed by the young and old :)