“The sardine pasta dish at Sagra is delicious and a little different. Can you publish the recipe, please?”

Marcus Gayle, Palm Beach, NSW

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Ingredients

150 gm day-old crustless sourdough bread, coarsely torn

3 garlic cloves, 1 bruised 2 finely chopped

150 ml extra-virgin olive oil

50 gm pine nuts

1 small fennel bulb (fronds reserved), finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

Pinch of saffron threads

100 ml dry white wine

6 butterflied sardines, pin-boned

5 salted anchovies (see note)

2 tbsp strattu (see note)

50 gm raisins

400 gm spaghetti

To serve: coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Pinch of fennel pollen (optional; see note)

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. To make pangrattato, combine bread, bruised garlic and 50ml oil, season to taste and toss to combine. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake, shaking occasionally, until golden (4-5 minutes; discard garlic). When bread is cool enough to handle, pound in a mortar and pestle and set pangrattato aside.

2.Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add pine nuts and stir occasionally until golden (3-4 minutes). Add chopped garlic, fennel, onion and saffron, and stir occasionally until fennel and onion are tender (10-12 minutes; add a splash of water if sticking). Add wine, sardines, anchovies and strattu, and simmer until oil separates from sauce (5-6 minutes). Add raisins and reduce heat to low.

3.Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just undercooked (3-4 minutes), then drain, reserving 250ml water. Add spaghetti to sardine sauce with about 200ml pasta water, increase heat to medium-high and simmer until pasta is al dente (3-4 minutes). Season to taste, adjust consistency with extra pasta water if it’s a little dry (you’re after a light sauce consistency) and serve hot scattered with pangrattato, parsley, fennel pollen and finely chopped fennel fronds.

Note Salted anchovies are available from select grocers and delicatessens. Strattu is a concentrated tomato paste available from select Italian grocers and delicatessens. Fennel pollen is available from select delicatessens and Waimea Trading. If it’s unavailable substitute toasted ground fennel seeds.
Notes

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Styling by Vanessa Austin

Ingredients

Method

Main

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