Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 320 g. pasta
• 300 g. fresh sardines
• All purpose flour Fiorfiore
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 150 g. wild fennel
• 2 tbs EVOO
• 1 onion
• 4 salted anchovies, rinsed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbs pine nuts, toasted
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1⁄4 teaspoon saffron threads

Preparing:

1. Filet the sardines and wash them. Coat them with the flour and deep-fry them in vegetable oil. In a pot, boil the fennel for 10 minutes and then chop it. Reserve the cooking water.
2. Heat olive oil with the chopped onion in a frying pan. Add half of the anchovies along with the chopped garlic, the fennel, toasted pine nuts, a pinch of salt, pepper, and saffron.
3. Boil the pasta in the fennel's water. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add 3⁄4 of the sauce. Coat a baking pan with olive oil and fill with alternating layers of pasta and fried sardines.
4. Spread the remaining sauce over the top and bake at 200°C for 10 minutes.