Sardines in Beccaficu Alla Palermitana

Preparation:

Preparation: Scale the sardines with a knife or with the appropriate tool, holding them under water, then clean them. Open them in half on the belly side, leaving them united on the back: with a slight pressure of the fingers, remove the central bone with the head and viscera attached, wash them again, dry them on absorbent paper. You can put them to macerate in vinegar for a couple of hours, if you prefer to remove some of the strong flavor of the sardines. Wash the raisins and let them soften in warm water for about ten minutes. Put the onion in a pan with a spoonful of oil and a few spoonfuls of broth. Add salt and cook for about ten minutes over a low heat, making sure it does not brown and baste it with hot broth. As soon as the onion has softened and absorbed a good part of the liquid, add the drained, squeezed and dried raisins, the pine nuts and let everything infuse for a few minutes. Put the breadcrumbs (minus a spoonful) in a preferably non-stick pan and toast it, stirring constantly. Add it to the onion sauce, remove from the heat, let it cool down, add the pecorino cheese, season with two tablespoons of oil and season with salt. 4) Arrange the well-dried boned sardines on the work surface with the inside facing upwards. Lightly salt them, distribute the filling and roll them up starting from the head and ending with the tail. Arrange them in a pan greased with oil next to each other to prevent them from unrolling and, between one roll and another, insert a bay leaf. You can also secure each roll with a toothpick. Sprinkle the surface with the breadcrumbs kept aside, drizzle with a drizzle of oil and transfer the pan into a preheated oven at 180 degrees. Cook for a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 20 depending on the size of the sardines. Serve them hot or warm.