Pasta Con Le Sarde - Pasta With Sardines

Ingredients

• 2 fennel bulbs (2 pounds; about 900 grams), greens removed and reserved, bulb cut into sticks
• 2 pounds (about 900 grams) whole fresh sardines, heads removed
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (28-ounce; 794 grams) can whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup (48 grams) dried raisins, soaked in water and drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen or 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
• 7 saffron strands
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound (454 grams) dried bucatini, or my favorite corkscrew pasta (the sauce bits get stuck in them)