Sarde a beccafico
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes preparation + 15-20 minutes cooking
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• ¼ loaf day-old white sourdough bread
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to cook and serve
• 1 tbsp dried currants, soaked in hot water for half an hour
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• ½ orange, juiced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper
• 12 filleted, butterflied sardines
• 12 fresh bay leaves
• 12 slices of orange
1. Preheat your oven to 180ºc.
2. First, place the pine nuts on a tray and bake until golden.
3. To make the breadcrumbs, take the sourdough, remove the crust and grate the loaf on the coarse edge of a box grater. Warm the olive oil in a frypan, add the breadcrumbs and gently sauté, tossing all the while until the crumbs are golden. (Alternatively, the breadcrumbs could be baked in the oven until golden.) Tip the crumbs into a mixing bowl. Add the toasted pine nuts, currants, chopped parsley, orange juice and half the lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste the stuffing for seasoning, add more salt if you think it needs it.
4. Lay the butterflied sardine fillets skinside down on a board, take a small handful of the stuffing and squeeze it tightly into a walnut-sized piece. Place the stuffing on the sardine fillet and roll the fillet until it encases the filling. Place the stuffed sardine in an oiled small shallow baking tray large enough to snugly fit the sardines. Continue to roll the remaining sardines and place in a line on the tray. Place a bay leaf and a slice of orange between each rolled sardine and skewer to hold the sardines in place. Transfer the sardines to the fridge until you are ready to cook.
5. To cook, brush the sardines with a little olive oil and season with a good pinch of sea salt. Cook for 15-20 minutes. When ready, remove the tray from the oven and drizzle the skewers with a little extra virgin olive oil, then squeeze the remaining lemon juice over the top. I prefer to eat this dish once it has cooled to room temperature.