Pasta con le Sardine

Method

Clean and fillet the fresh sardines, removing heads and bones, then rinse gently. Blanch the fennel in salted water for 5 minutes, remove and set aside, retaining the water for cooking the pasta. In a large pan, soften the finely sliced onion in olive oil until translucent, then add the sardine fillets and gently cook for 2-3 minutes. Toast the pine nuts separately in a dry pan, then soak the raisins and saffron strands in warm white wine for 5 minutes. Add the wine mixture, pine nuts, raisins, and reserved fennel to the sardine pan, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook the pasta in the fennel water until al dente, then drain and combine with the sardine sauce, tossing gently to avoid breaking the fish. Serve immediately with a drizzle of quality olive oil.