Pasta With Sardine Sauce

• 2 lbs fresh sardines
• 1 12 lbs fennel bulbs, thickly sliced
• 12 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 12 cup pine nuts
• 12 cup golden raisin
• 1 dash saffron
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb bucatini pasta
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Remove heads and tails from half the sardines.
3. Cut in 1 inch pieces.
4. Leave second half intact.
5. Wash and trim fennel.
6. Put into pan with about 8 cups cold, salted water.
7. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 5- 8 minutes.
8. Remove with slotted spoon, drain in colander, then gently squeeze out water.
9. Chop roughly.
10. Reserve cooking water.
11. Heat 1/4 cup oil in frying pan.
12. Saute onions over medium heat until golden.
13. Add chopped sardines and anchovies.
14. As they cook, crush sardines with back of spoon to make a thick paste.
15. Add pine nuts, raisins, saffron, salt and pepper.
16. In a separate pan, heat remaining oil and lightly saute the fennel, removing to a separate bowl.
17. Saute the remaining whole sardines.
18. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes, turning once gently to not break sardines.
19. Using fennel water, boil pasta until al dente, about 10 -= 12 minutes.
20. Drain.
21. Put in bowl and dress with half the sardine sauce.
22. Put a layer of dressed pasta in an ovenproof casserole.
23. On top of that, put a layer of fennel, then a a layer of whole sardines with additional sauce.
24. Continue until ingredients are used up, ending with a layer of bucatini.
25. Cover with breadcrumbs.
26. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top.
27. Cover and bake in preheated 350F oven 15 - 20 minutes.
28. Pasta may be served hot or cold.

sardines, fennel bulbs, olive oil, onions, anchovy, nuts, golden raisin, saffron, salt, bucatini pasta, breadcrumbs

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/pasta-with-sardine-sauce-213084 (may not work)