Pasta con le sarde

Pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines) is arguably Sicily on a plate; full of fresh seafood, the island's native wild fennel and North African influences of raisins and pine nuts. Serve up with a crisp glass of white wine and you could almost be there.

Wild fennel grows abundantly in Sicily but is difficult to find in the United Kingdom. Soaked fennel seeds or fennel bulbs with their tops make a perfectly good substitute. Fresh sardines are preferable, but you can used the tinned variety, just chop them up finely and add at the same time as the anchovies. Long, thin pastas are the traditional pairing; think bucatini, spaghetti or linguine.