18 sardinefillets
(about350gm),
halvedlengthways
50 mlextra-virginoliveoil
2 garliccloves,crushed
2 tbspmarjoramleaves,and
friedshallots,toserve
ONIONDRESSING
1 kgonions,halved
100 gmcurrants
50 ml extra-virgin oliveoilGrilledsardineskewerswith
pine-nutsauceandoniondressing
SERVES 6 // PREP TIME 30 MINS // COOK 6 HRS 50 MINS“Theingredientsinthisdisharea classiccombinationfrom
southernItaly,whereanearly-morningtriptothefishmarkets
willyieldthebestsardines,”saysFedericaAndrisani.“Welike
toskewerthefishbecauseit allowsformorecontrolledcooking,
sothecentreis just warmed through and not overcooked.”
Pictured p109.PINE-NUTSAUCE
100 gmpinenuts
100 mlmilk
50 mlgrapeseedoil1 Foroniondressing,preheat
ovento 110 °C.Placeonionin a
casserolewith2 litreswateror
enoughtocover,thencoverand
bakeuntil tender(5-6 hours).O
neofthegreatstrengthsofFedericaAndrisani
andOskarRossi’scookingis theirabilitytodistil
multipleinfluencesintosimple,directflavours.
AtFico,theirHobartrestaurant,theycombine
Andrisani’sItalianheritage,hertimeworking
at Michelin-starredrestaurantsinItaly,andRossi’sexperience
workinginItalyandat restaurantslikeVuedeMondewitha
sharedpassionforTasmanianproducetooriginal,deliciouseffect.
Therecipesthey’vecreatedforthisissuereflectthose
influencesbutwitha homespunapproach,perfectfora Sunday
lunch,inthiscasewiththeirfriendsintheMeadowbank
vineyard,justoutsideofHobartintheDerwentValley.
“Wewantedit tobereallysimplefood,somethinglikeyou’d
eatina vineyardinTuscany,”saysAndrisani.“Theinspirationis
frommybackground– thepizzafrittais somethingyou’deatin
Naples.It’saboutusinglocalproductslikethegreentomatoes
andzucchiniflowers,sotherecipesareseasonal,somethingyou
cancookat homeandsomethinglikemymumwouldmake.”
“It’sdefinitelya menuforthehomechefinthatit’ssimpler
thanthewaywecookat Fico,”saysRossi.“But it’s still Fico
food that reflects our particular journey.”Sowhatexactlyis “Ficofood”?“It’snoteasytodescribe
thestyle,”saysAndrisani.“It’sverymuchourfoodwitha
strongidentity– it comesfromourdifferentcultures,our
familiesandourexperience.Butthelandscapeandthe
ingredientsofTasmaniahavea hugeinfluence,too.”
Oneofthechallenges– andsomewouldsayadvantages–
ofcookinginTasmaniais thatthesupplychainforingredients
canbevolatile.Musselsmightbeavailableat thebeginningof
theweekbutnotbyitsendbecauseofbadweather,andthe
supplyofvegetablesis strictlyseasonal.It makesfornimblechefs.
“Youhavetohavea winningformatfora dishtobesuccessful,
buthere,it alsohastobeinterchangeableforwhatis available
ontheday,”saysRossi.So,if musselsaren’tavailableforthe
pasta,theymightuseseaurchinoroctopusorclams.Same
goesforthesummertrufflesaccompanyingthecarnecruda.
“Youcangeta similarnuttyflavourbyslicingbuttonor
Swissbrownmushroomsreallythinlyona mandolineand
thendressingthemwithlemonjuiceandoliveoil,”saysRossi.
“It’showmyfamilycooked,”saysAndrisani.“Usingwhat
wasthebestontheday.”
Fico, 151 Macquarie St, Hobart, Tas, (03) 6245 3391, ficofico.netStrain liquid(discardonion),
thentransfertoa saucepan
overmediumheatandcook
untilreducedtoabout100ml
anda sweet,stickycaramel
forms(35-40minutes).Dry-roast
currantsin a fryingpanover
medium-highheatuntillightly
roasted(1-2minutes).Combine
currantswithonionreduction
andoil.Seasontotasteand
coveruntilrequired.
2 Rollupsardines,skin-sideout,
startingfromtailend.Thread
6 sardinerollsontoeachmetal
skewer,coverandsetaside.
3 Forpine-nutsauce,dry-roast
pinenutsin a fryingpanover
mediumheat,tossingfrequently,
untilgolden(2-3minutes).Set
asidetocool. Blendin a blender
with milk until smooth, thengraduallyaddoilina thin,
steadystreamuntilsmooth.
Seasontotastewithsalt.
4 Preheata barbecue,
preferablycharcoal,tohigh
ora non-stickfryingpanover
highheat.Combineoiland
garlicina bowl,thenbrush
oversardinesandseason
totaste.Grillsardineskewers,
turning,untillightgolden
andjustwarminthemiddle
(1-2minutes).
5 Toserve,spoonpine-nut
sauceonplatesthentop
withsardineskewers.Drizzle
overdressingtotasteand
garnishwithmarjoramand
friedshallots.
Winesuggestion 2017 Le
Coste Bianchetto, Lazio, Italy.