Lemon Sardine Pasta: Sardines Never Tasted So Good

Gather the ingredients. Cook the linguine pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, but keep back 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Toss the pasta in the pan you cooked it in with the reserved cooking water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Keep warm. Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan to hot, but not smoking. Add the minced shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the chili flakes and stir. Lower the heat slightly and add the garlic. Stir well and cook for one minute. Take great care to not burn the garlic or the the dish will taste bitter. Heat a serving bowl - this will ultimately ensure that the dish keeps warm while you enjoy it. Add the drained sardines to the frying pan and stir very carefully taking care not to break the sardines up too much. Finally, add the lemon zest and stir again. Tip the cooked linguine into the warmed serving bowl, stir the sardine sauce, parsley, and baby kale (the heat of the pasta and the sauce will be enough to cook the tiny leaves) into the linguine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finish with a drizzle of lemon juice and serve immediately.