Lusty Pasta With Sardines

• 1/2 large onion, diced fine
• 2 cloves of garlic, coarsely minced
• 1 tablespoon capers in brine
• 1 tin sardines, larger bones removed
• 1 28 oz can of tomatoes, pureed or whole (not diced)
• zest of 1 lemon + juice of half a lemon
• 2/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 10 oil-cured olives, pitted and quartered (you can use other kids, but oil cured olives are especially magical here).
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2/3 pound spaghetti or linguini

1. Saute the diced onion in a tablespoon or so of oil over medium low heat; cover for a few minutes so that the onions stays moist and become translucent. Avoid browning the onion. While the onion is softening, get a pot of well-salted water going on the stove to cook the pasta.
2. After the onion is soft, add the garlic and a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes. (I like to make this a little on the spicy side, so I use a couple healthy pinches of red pepper flakes.) Let cook for a couple minutes, avoiding overly browning the garlic.
3. Add the sardines and capers and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sardines start to dissolve.
4. If you are working with whole canned tomatoes, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and either break them up with your hands or lightly pulse them with a soup stick. Add the tomatoes; then add a 1/3 - 1/2 cup of water to the can, swirl it around to get the remains bits of tomato out, and add it to the sauce.
5. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens. Taste for salt and pepper.
6. When the sauce starts to thicken, cook the pasta. 5 minutes before the pasta is done, add the chopped parsley and the olives to the sauce. Don't add the olives earlier: they will overpower the sauce if they cook in it too long.
7. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and toss to combine. You can add some extra fresh parsley at this point, if you'd like.

onion, garlic, capers, sardines, tomatoes, flatleaf parsley, olives, oregano, red pepper, salt, linguini

Taken from food52.com/recipes/80445-lusty-pasta-with-sardines (may not work)