Ingredients for 4 servings:

1/2 pound elbow pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 cup onion, diced

1 8 ounce tin of Spanish or Portuguese sardines, drained and chopped

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced + more for garnish

Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain and reserve both the pasta and 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan, add the breadcrumbs and stir for a minute or two, until they turn toasty brown.  Remove and reserve.

Heat remaining oil in the pan and cook the onion pieces until they wilt, about 2 minutes.

Stir the sardines, capers and lemon zest into the onions and continue cooking another 2 to 3 minutes to heat them.

Add the pasta to the pan with 2 tablespoons of the pasta water.  Stir the mixture while heating the pasta and add more water as needed to keep the mixture moist.

Finally, fold in the minced parsley, serve and add additional parsley as garnish.

(Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman that appeared in The New York Times on March 31, 2010.)