sardines

As we look forward to game four of the NBA Finals tonight (nice trash talk, Serge) we're planning our meals around some of our favorite easy-to-whip-up pasta dishes. There's just something about an enormous plate of spaghetti that brings a smile no matter how dreadful your day (or game) was. 

Called chirimen jako, the dried young sardines are pearl gray, about a millimeter wide and less than an inch long. They are sold at Japanese markets in plastic bags. Out of the packaging, they are slightly soft, but they perk up in hot oil and turn wonderfully crispy — like oceanic bacon bits.