Lemon-cured
sardines
SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 10 MINS
(PLUS CURING“You can eat these after an
hour, which is the way I prefer
them,” says Gal. “The outside
of the sardine is cured, but the
inside is still raw and sweet, a
nice contrast with the texture,
and you can still taste the sea.
You can also eat this the next
day. It’s firmer the longer you
leave it in the salt and lemon,
but you can stop the curing
process by taking the fish out
and putting them in olive oil.”
Pictured p95.2 tbsp sea salt
6 sardines, filleted,
skin removed
Juice of 2 lemons,
or to taste
1 long green chilli, thinly
sliced, or to taste
1 radish, thinly sliced
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
60 ml (¼ cup) olive oilSprinkle half the salt on
the bottom of a shallow bowl.
Place sardines skin-side up on
top and sprinkle the rest of the
salt on top. Pour lemon juice
over sardines, add chilli and
refrigerate to cure (30 minutes
to a day). Remove sardines and
pat dry with a paper towel.
Serve sardine fillets topped
with chilli, radish and onion
and drizzled with olive oil.Eggplant lines
SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 5 MINS
// COOK 1 HR 20 MINS
“The cutting technique in this
recipe is all about preserving
the shape of the eggplant,”
says Afik Gal. “Make sure
to keep the stem on during
the peeling, cutting and
serving stages.”Pictured p94.
2 small eggplant
140 gm (½ cup) tahini
Olive oil, to servePreheat oven to as hot as it
will go (about 250°C). Roast
eggplant on an oven tray lined
with baking paper until its skin
turns black, hard, tight and
shiny (50 minutes to 1 hour).
Remove from oven and allow
to cool slightly.
Spoon tahini onto a plate.
Make a vertical slit in the
eggplant skin with a sharp
knife from the stalk down to
reveal the flesh underneath.
Gently pull the eggplant from
its skin, removing the burnt
skin from all sides. The flesh
should come out in one piece
and the skin should come away
from the flesh like walls. Avoid
removing the skin under the
tap; if the eggplant gets wet
it won’t separate easily. If it’s
proving diicult use a knife
to help. Place eggplant on
top of the tahini and cut it with
a precise piston-like motion,
millimetre by millimetre from
one end to the next with a
metal scraper or a sharp knife
until chopped, but with the
eggplant shape still intact
Season to taste with salt and
drizzle with oil to serve.
Burnt beetroot carpaccio
SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 5 MINS // COOK 1 HR 15 MINS (PLUS COOLING“Use a very sharp knife to thinly slice the charred beets. The
slicing is when the magic is revealed,” says Eyal Shani. “The
beetroot heart has remained untouched. It’s red, full of life. Most
of its fluid has evaporated leaving him weightless, but still juicy,
sweeter than ever, bearing unique mineral flavours within
that are unparalleled.”Pictured p94.10 beetroot
Grated horseradish,
to serve
2 tbsp olive oil
30 gm finely grated fresh
horseradish mixed with
100gm crème fraîchePreheat a wood-fired oven
to high, or your home oven as
hot as it will go (about 250°C).
Wash beetroot under cold
running water, place on
a baking tray lined with baking
paper and roast until charred
and beetroot have lost about
half their weight (1-1¼ hours).
Remove and set aside to cool
(1½-2 hours, depending on size).
Thinly slice beetroot with a
sharp knife and spread over
a plate, with the discs slightly
overlapping. Sprinkle with salt
to taste and grated horseradish,
drizzle with olive oil and serve
with a spoonful of horseradish
crème fraîche.➤