Pasta w/ Swordfish & Cherry Tomato Sauce

I LOVE this recipe.

I have made swordfish w/ tomatoes before, and I loved the dish then, but now with the addition of raisins, pine nuts and anchovies, I love it even more.

I made a similar recipe from the book My Calabria, and it was excellent, but there is something about the Sicilian flavors that took this dish to a new level.

This recipe is for summer only, when cherry tomatoes are sweet and overflowing in the garden.

Since the recipe called for 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, and I only had 1/2 of that, I added some Italian pomodorini in a jar (cherry tomatoes from Italy) and along with the fresh tomatoes, the sauce turned out sweet and juicy.

You can buy these jarred tomatoes thru mail order at Gustiamo.com, and they are fantastic.

I also used these special sweet anchovies from Cetara in Campania, which I cleaned myself and removed the bones and tails.
(I'm crazy like that), also can be ordered here thru Gustiamo.

I cooked the swordfish directly in the sauce and it turned out nice and moist.
This is the perfect summer pasta, and one of my favorites.

Pasta w/ Swordfish & Cherry Tomato Sauce: (adapted from Bon Appetit) serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (I mixed red and yellow, and also some from a jar in their juice)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound 1" thick swordfish steak
2 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)
12 oz. casarecce or other short pasta (I used penne)
handful of chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons golden raisins

Start boiling the water for the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce on another burner.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium and cook the anchovies, garlic and hot pepper flakes with the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, until the anchovies melt into the sauce.

Season the tomatoes with kosher salt & pepper while simmering.

Season the swordfish steak also w/ kosher salt & pepper and cut into 1" chunks.

Add the fish pieces into the simmering tomato sauce and cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the fish is no longer opaque.

Add in the raisins and let them soften in the sauce.

Your pasta should be done now, remember to save 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Add the 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to the sauce and add in the pasta.
Cook w/ the fish sauce for another 2 minutes to incorporate the flavors, tossing the ingredients w/ a big spoon.

Add in the fresh parsley and pine nuts if using, at the end and serve into bowls.

So good!!!!!