Focaccia with fennel pesto and fried sardines. The idea started by putting together the ingredients for making pasta with sardines in the Palermo style, but the garden’s harvest required some sorting, leading to a detour.
Instead of pasta with sardines, it’s pasta with vegetables and wild fennel pesto, which grows abundantly, I dare say invasively, in my garden.
So as soon as I got home, I changed my initial idea and transformed the menu, thus creating both lunch and dinner.
Focaccia and fennel pesto with sardines, same ingredients, different result.
The focaccia with high hydration using the fennel’s cooking water, further flavored with sesame seeds. The fennel pesto, with boiled fennel, pine nuts, anchovies, and raisins, while the sardines were deboned, floured, and fried. A tasty and unique combination.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 1/4 cups water (slightly warm fennel cooking water)
- 2 tsp compressed yeast
- 1 1/3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- to taste sesame seeds
- 2 bunches wild fennel
- 1 espresso cup pine nuts
- 1 espresso cup raisins
- 2 salted anchovies
- 1 teacup olive oil
- 50 sardines (I did not weigh them. I estimated about 8 sardines per person.)
- to taste flour (For coating the sardines)
- to taste sunflower oil (For frying)
Tools
Colander for washing the fennel, pot for blanching, blender, bowl for kneading the focaccia or stand mixer, baking tray about 8 x 12 inches for baking the focaccia, and parchment paper. Frying pan…
- Colanders
- Pots
- Blenders
- Bowls
- Stand Mixers
- Baking Trays
- Pans
Steps
First knead the focaccia, then prepare the pesto, and finally fry the sardines.
First briefly boil the fennel, then use the cooking water to knead the flour with the oil, salt, and yeast; knead for a long time and let it rest for 10 minutes, then knead for another 2 minutes.
Remove from the bowl and fold it twice; let it rise in a warm place covered until doubled.
After the necessary time, generously oil the tray and pour the dough; cover and let rise, oil the surface, press down with your fingers to create more bubbles, and sprinkle sesame seeds and salt on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 40 minutes. If you use a tray with the recommended size, it will have a thickness of about 3/4 inches. If you prefer thicker, use a smaller tray or vice versa.
In the meantime, drain the fennel and combine it with the rest of the ingredients. Blend and adjust the salt.
After cleaning and deboning the sardines, coat them in flour and fry in hot oil.
Drain the excess oil on kitchen paper and serve with freshly baked focaccia and fennel pesto.
A few more tips.
You can use either fresh or frozen sardines in deboned fillets. The focaccia will have better holes if you fold it, but it will be just as good even if not pronounced. I recommend letting it rise directly in the baking tray to avoid losing volume when transferring and not touching it too much afterward.
