6

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 oil

Sprinkle 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 serve

Preheat 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 fraîche

Preheat 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.➤