My father’s favorite meal, this Linguine with Sardines, Fennel, and White Beans is the perfect Sunday dinner to enjoy with a glass of red wine.

In honor of our trip to Sicily coming up, I thought I would make my dad an Italian-themed dinner for Father’s Day. I found this recipe on Food52 and had to try it out.

I followed the recipe in the link above, but made a few adaptations:

• Left out the red pepper flakes, bread crumbs and fennel fronds.
• Added cannellini beans and basil.
• Added more tomato/sauce than required.

In addition to the pasta, I made an heirloom caprese salad. The balsamic vinegar I used to dress the salad (along with extra virgin olive oil) was one my parents brought back from Italy last year. You know it’s true balsamic when its texture is thick, almost like a glaze.

In addition to the Italian dinner, I baked a torta di mele, or apple cake. Extra Virgin is one of my favorite cooking shows (Cooking Channel). It follows the lives of Gabriele Corcos and his wife, actress Debi Mazar. Gabriele hails from Tuscany and every recipe featured looks mouthwatering. The recipe for the torta di mele can be found here.

Adaptations:

• I used only about 2 apples chopped. (Pictured: 4 apples chopped)
• In lieu of a springform pan, I simply used an 8-9″ round baking pan.
• Baked for 45 minutes instead of an hour.