from Regaleali, Italy

• 1 med red onion, very finely chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup bread crumbs
• 5 tbs. dried currants, soak in water if very dry
• 5 tbs. pine nuts
• ½ cup minced parsley
• ¼ cup mixed lemon and orange juices
• Sugar (optional)
• Salt & Black Pepper
• ½ lemon, sliced ¼ inch thick
• ½ orange, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 12 fresh (6 dried) bay leaves, broken in half
• 2 lbs. whole fresh sardines, scaled, cleaned heads removed, split and boned

Saute the onion in the olive oil until just golden, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs and cook for another 2-3 minutes to toast the crumbs. Remove pan from heat and add the cuurants, pine nuts, and parsley.

Taste the lemon-orange mixture and add sugar if it seems too sour, then stir into the filling mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, mix well, then allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375° and oil an 8 inch square baking dish. Fill each sardine with about 1½   teaspoons of filling and roll each fish going from the head to the tail.  Place the sardines with their tails sticking up, all in the same direction and close together, in the baking dish. Sprinkle them with the remaining filling and lemons, oranges, and bay leaves decoratively around the dish at the sides or in between the sardines.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until tender.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Serves about 4-6 people as a first course.