The beauty of being cooked for is that you often discover completely new flavor and ingredient combinations that you wouldn't have thought of before. This was exactly the case this week when Thomas served us an exotic and spicy variation of an asparagus dish: He surprised us with a sweet potato and coconut cream alongside green and white asparagus, whose mild sweetness provided a lovely contrast to the spicy sardines. When everything was finished, we were licking our fingers for more and are delighted that the asparagus season has just begun.
Fortunately, sardine season (at least in cans) is year-round, and sweet potatoes are available any time of year. But don't wait too long to cook them yourself—enjoy them now!
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 2 cans of spicy sardines, e.g. sardinettes au piment d'Espelette
- 5 - 6 sweet potatoes
- 1 - 2 onions
- 15g fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp curry powder (e.g. from Saravane, available in our store)
- 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, then cut into equal pieces. Sauté everything together in a pot with a little oil (without allowing it to change color). After about 3-4 minutes, add the spices and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with orange juice and coconut milk (so that the potatoes are completely covered with liquid) and simmer over low heat until tender. The best way to check whether the potatoes are tender is with a sharp, pointed knife. When everything is nice and tender, puree it finely with a hand blender and season with salt and pepper.
Now peel the white asparagus and trim about 1 cm from the end. Don't peel the green asparagus, just trim about 1.5 cm from the end. Cut the asparagus into even diamond-shaped pieces (similar to penne pasta) and fry them in a hot pan with olive oil. Season with a little salt, pepper, and sugar. The asparagus should be lightly browned, but still nice and crisp. Finally, stir in the orange and lime zest and season with a little white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Done.
Bon appetite!
Our wine recommendation
The Vinho Verde Quinta do Ameal 2016 Loureiro is very refreshing and beautifully mineral. It has citrus and green notes of grass and clover, as well as a slightly salty aroma. A very charming wine with very low alcohol (11.5%), it's a perfect accompaniment to this dish.
