Sicilian Inspired Sardine Pasta

Inspired by my trip to Sicily, I had to try and replicate the traditional pasta con le sarde I had while I was there. It’s also a bowl of sunshine which we could all do with right now. I loved the fusion of cuisines we experienced in Palermo, particularly the blend of Arabic and more traditional Italian food traditions.There are many versions of this pasta dish, but this is mine. A fragrant, sweet and sour sauce made from onions, fennel, raisins, pine nuts, sardines, and saffron, topped with plenty of parmesan (which I know is not authentic), parsley and olive oil.

(Serves 4 - £1.58 per serving)

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil from the sardines in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Add one finely chopped onion and fennel bulb and a pinch of salt. Fry for 10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
2. Cook your choice of pasta according to packet instructions. I used rigatoni here but linguine or bucatini works really well.
3. Next add 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds, a pinch of saffron, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a finely chopped deseeded red chilli, a handful of finely chopped parsley stalks, the zest of a lemon and 220g drained sardines. Stir well.
4. Add 60g toasted pine nuts and 50g raisins. Stir for a few minutes before adding the cooked pasta and a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. Stir everything together so the pasta is well coated in the sauce.
5. Add the juice of the lemon and the roughly chopped leaves from the bunch of parsley. Season to taste, adding more pasta water if necessary.
6. Serve in big bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some chopped parsley for garnish and grated parmesan (I know this is wrong so I apologise to the whole of Italy, but I do think it tastes better…)