Little fish, big flavour. A tin of silvery sardines bathed in oil or tomato will give you a headstart on dinner, whether they’re left whole, flaked or mashed to toss through pasta or traybakes, piled on to just-boiled rice or a slice of toast (alongside tomatoes and onion, say). And their strong, umami flavour means you don’t need many of them to pack a proper punch, whether that’s in a sauce, such as today’s puttanesca to spoon over polenta (or pasta), or folded through a salad. Sardine and celery salad (pictured top) Sardines and celery are a winning combination in this salad, but you could easily swap the lettuce for jarred white beans or cooked grains to bulk things up. Prep 15 min Serves 2 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp wholegrain mustard Zest and juice of ½ lemon 1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed 1 small handful chopped chives 1 small handful chopped tarragon 2 tsp capers, drained Salt and black pepper 3 sticks celery, diced 120g tin sardines in olive oil, drained 1 handful lettuce leaves In a large bowl, mix the oil, mustard, lemon zest and juice, garlic, chives, tarragon and capers. Season generously, then stir through the celery, followed by the sardines and lettuce leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Sardine puttanesca with polenta Tinned sardines replace the traditional anchovies in this hearty meal that makes good use of store-cupboard ingredients. Prep 10 min Cook 35 min Serves 2 2 95g tins sardines in olive oil 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped ½ red chilli, finely chopped 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato puree Salt and black pepper 40g pitted black olives, halved 1 tbsp capers, drained 500ml stock, or water 125g quick-cook polenta 15g butter 1 small handful fresh oregano leaves Pour some oil from one of the sardine tins into a pan set over a medium heat, add the red onion and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, chilli, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and 100ml water, season and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the drained sardines, olives and capers, and cook for another five minutes. Bring the stock (or water) to a boil, turn down the heat and tip in the polenta, whisking constantly. Keep whisking for a few minutes, until it is cooked and comes away from the sides of the pan, then stir in the butter and season. Serve the sardine puttanesca on top of the polenta and scatter with fresh oregano. These recipes are edited extracts from Store Cupboard Genius: 200 Clever Recipes to Transform your Forgotten Ingredients, by Anna Berrill, published by Thames & Hudson at £19.99. To order a copy for £17.99, go to guardianbookshop.com