This is a typical Sicilian recipe which is not hard to prepare and tastes delicious. The main ingredients (fresh sardines, raisins, pine nuts) are quite easy to find. Wild fennel can be difficult to get but I use dill as a substitute. The secret is to time the pasta so that it will be cooked one or two minutes after the sardine sauce is ready. See packet instructions for pasta cooking time, as these may vary depending on the type of pasta.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 4 teaspoons fresh wild fennel (dill works equally well, if you can’t get the wild fennel)
- 300 g spaghetti or linguine
- 300g fresh sardines
- 30g raisins
- 30g pine nuts
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 pinch of saffron
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Method:
Clean the sardines and get rid of the tail and backbone, if your fishmonger has not done that for you.
Infuse the saffron in half a glass of warm water and soak the raisins in a separate bowl with warm water.
Chop the onion and the anchovy fillets and put them into a saucepan with three spoonfuls of olive oil; cook on a medium heat until the onion begins to soften and then add the water where the saffron has been dissolved. Keep cooking over a medium heat.
Drain the raisins and add them to the saucepan with the pine nut; stir for one minute.
Add the sardines, the wild fennel (or dill), season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for two more minutes. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile put the spaghetti or linguine in one litre of boiling water, cook according to packet instructions, drain and toss into the saucepan with the sardines; mix gently and let it rest for 2-3 minutes before serving