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The profusion of fresh vegetables the Catalans use in their cooking, results in some colourful and richly flavoured dishes. Sanfaina, a chunky ratatouille-type vegetable stew, is a typical example. It’s amazing how a simple local recipe can transform a plate of smoked sardines into a culinary delight.

SERVES 4
8 sardines
250g smoked salt
1 unsliced loaf of bread
Olive oil
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 aubergine
1 courgette
4 red tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish:
Bunch of chives
Sprig of marjoram

〉〉 Clean the sardines, remove the bones and separate the fillets.

〉〉 Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF/Gas mark 3). Cover the base of a large ovenproof dish with half the smoked salt and place the sardines on top, skin side down. Cover with the remaining salt and set aside.

〉〉 Reduce the oven temperature to 150ºC (300ºF/Gas mark 2), Carefully cut the bread into very thin slices – it’s easier to stand the loaf on its end and cut the slices horizontally. Arrange the slices in a single layer on baking trays. Drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden.

〉〉 Peel and chop the vegetables into largish pieces. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and lightly sauté the vegetables and tomatoes over a medium heat until tender. Then season with salt and pepper.

〉〉 Spoon the vegetables into the centre of a serving dish, top with the crisp toast slices and place the sardines over the toast. Garnish with chopped chives and a sprig of marjoram.