The nice thing about being cooked is that completely new combinations of flavors and ingredients are often put on the table that you would not have thought of before. That was exactly the case when Thomas served us the exotic-spicy variation of an asparagus meal this week: he surprised us with green and white asparagus with a sweet potato-coconut cream, the mild sweetness of which formed a nice contrast to the savory sardinettes. When everything was eaten, we licked our fingers for more and are happy that the asparagus season has only just begun.
Luckily, sardine season (at least in cans) is year-round, and sweet potatoes are also available at any time of the year. However, you shouldn't wait too long before trying to cook it yourself - start enjoying it now!
Ingredients for 4 persons)
- 2 cans of savory sardines, eg sardinettes au piment d'Espelette
- 5-6 sweet potatoes
- 1-2 onions
- 15g fresh ginger
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 teaspoons curry powder (e.g. from Saravane, we have it in the shop)
- 1 tsp coriander (ground)
- 100ml orange juice
- 400ml coconut milk
- 1 bunch of white asparagus
- 1 bunch of green asparagus
- Zest of 1 orange and lime
- olive oil
- some white wine vinegar
- salt, pepper , sugar
preparation
Peel the sweet potatoes, onions, ginger and garlic and then cut into even pieces. Sauté everything together in a pot with a little oil (without the whole thing discoloring), after about 3 - 4 minutes add the spices and sweat for another 1 - 2 minutes. Deglaze with orange juice and coconut milk (so that the potatoes are completely covered with liquid) and cook over low heat until soft. The best way to check whether the potatoes are soft is with a sharp, pointed knife. When everything is nice and soft, finely puree with a hand blender and season with a little salt and pepper.
Now peel the white asparagus and cut off about 1cm from the end, do not peel the green asparagus, just cut off about 1.5cm from the end. Cut the asparagus into even diamond shapes (similar to penne pasta) and sauté them in a hot pan with olive oil. Season with some salt, pepper and sugar. The asparagus should be lightly browned but still crispy. Finally, fold in the orange and lime zest and season with a little white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Finished.
Bon Appetit!
Our wine recommendation
The Vinho Verde Quinta do Ameal 2016 Loureiro is very refreshing and beautifully mineral. It carries notes of citrus fruits and green notes of grass and clover, it is also slightly salty. A very charming wine with very little alcohol (11.5%) that is a perfect accompaniment to this dish.
