At the beginning of October, Thomas Vetter represented us at the Berlin Food Week and held a workshop on "Cooking with vintage sardines" together with my sister Anaïs. The recipe prepared for this occasion was so well received by the visitors and participants that we would like to present it again here.
It fits perfectly into the season, picks up on the currently ubiquitous pumpkin and puts it in a new light in combination with sardines and coriander - a welcome change from the classic pumpkin soup...
Ingredients for 4 persons):
Tatar:
1 - 2 cans of Sardinettes piquantes from Les Mouettes d'Arvor
2 shallots
1 tbsp capers (e.g. the "Câpres nonpareiles" that we sell in the shop)
1 - 2 limes (zest and juice)
1 orange (zest)
fresh dill
1-2 sticks of spring onions
Pumpkin:
1 small or 1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin
1 - 2 tsp fennel seed
1 - 2 tsp coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp curry powder
some cinnamon powder
1 - 2 star anise
coarse sea salt
Allspice d'Espelette
some sunflower oil
Pesto:
150g fresh coriander
100g leaf parsley
some olive oil, eg from Alziari
some sunflower oil
Salt
Allspice d'Espelette
powdered sugar
1. Drain the sardinettes from the can through a sieve, catch the oil and set aside. Roughly chop the fish with a knife.
Peel the shallots and cut into small cubes, cut the capers into small pieces and mix both with the chopped sardinettes.
Fold in the reserved oil, finely chopped dill, and chopped spring onions. Season to taste with lime juice, lime and orange zest, and some salt and pepper.
2. Cut open and gut the squash, then cut into even cubes. Lightly toast the spices (fennel seed, coriander seed, cumin, curry, cinnamon, star anise) in a pot or pan. You can also crush the coarser spices in a mortar beforehand.
Add the pumpkin cubes, some sunflower oil, salt and pepper and mix. Place the whole thing on a baking tray and bake at 200°C for about 10 minutes until the pumpkin is soft but not falling apart.
3. Chop the herbs very finely and puree with a little olive and sunflower oil using a hand blender. Keep adding a little oil until you get a nice oily consistency. Season with salt, pepper and some powdered sugar.
4. Serve and enjoy, preferably with a glass of wine.
Our wine recommendation: a rosé always goes very well with a fish dish with spicy notes, especially if it has beautiful fruity and floral notes. These form a refreshing balance to spicy dishes.
