Wholewheat spaghetti with fresh sardines, fennel and pine nuts

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Whole wheat pasta70 g
• Sardines120 g
• Fennel150 g
• Raisins10 g
• Pine nuts8 g
• Onion30 g
• Extra virgin olive oil8 g
• Saffronto taste
• Saltto taste

Contains: gluten, nuts, fish, sulphites,

In season: March – September

Method

1. Put a pan of water on for the pasta. Meanwhile wash the fennel, remove the tough outer layers and slice it thinly, keeping the green fronds aside, chopped; peel and finely chop the onion.
2. Clean the sardines: remove the heads and guts, open them out like a book, pull out the backbone, rinse and pat dry. Soak the raisins in warm water and dissolve the saffron in a spoonful of hot water.
3. When the water boils, salt it and cook the fennel for 5 minutes, until tender; lift it out with a slotted spoon and keep the water on the heat.
4. In a frying pan heat the oil over a medium-low heat and sweat the onion for 4–5 minutes, until translucent; add the squeezed raisins, the pine nuts and the saffron and let it all cook for 1 minute.
5. Drop the wholemeal spaghetti into the fennel water and cook for the time on the packet, until al dente. Meanwhile add the sardines and fennel to the pan and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, breaking the sardines up with a wooden spoon, until the flesh is opaque and flakes.
6. Drain the spaghetti, keeping a ladleful of cooking water, toss them in the sauce for 1 minute over a high heat with a splash of water until well coated, season with salt and serve with the fennel fronds.