Sarde a Beccaficcu

The experience and skill of several Sicilian ladies, notably Signora Maria Bianca Cutolo, are reflected in the following recipe, which is for a well-known Sicilian speciality. The beccaficco (beccaficcu in Sicily) is a tiny bird, and the recipe takes its name from the circumstance that the sardines are arranged in the dish so as to look rather like these birds. The same treatment can be applied to fresh anchovies.

You will need just over 1