Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- ⅓ cup (80 ml/2¾ fl oz) olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup (80 g/2¾ oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (40 g/1¼ oz) raisins
- ¼ cup (40 g/1¼ oz) pine nuts, toasted
- 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
- ½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) white wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (tomato purée)
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 350 g (11 oz) butterflied sardine fillets
- 500 g (1 lb) spaghetti
Method
1. Score a cross in the base of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunge into cold water and peel the skin away from the cross. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Roughly chop the tomato flesh.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 clove of the garlic and the breadcrumbs and stir for about 5 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and cook the onion, fennel and remaining garlic for 8 minutes, or until soft. Add the tomato, raisins, pine nuts and anchovies and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the wine, tomato paste and ½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) water. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the parsley and set aside.
4. Pat the sardines dry with paper towels. Cook the sardines in batches in a lightly greased frying pan over medium heat for 1 minute, or until cooked through. Take care not to overcook or they will break up. Set aside.
5. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
6. Stir the sauce through the pasta until the pasta is well coated and the sauce evenly distributed. Add the sardines and half the breadcrumbs and toss gently. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the top and serve immediately.
