INSPIRING RECIPES FROM AEGEAN, A BEAUTIFUL NEW COLLECTION BY CHEF MARIANNA LEIVADITAKI
GROWING UP IN Crete, Marianna was surrounded by food. Her father was a fisherman and her mother ran the family taverna. As a child, Marianna would collect recipes and stand on a chair next to the stove to try them out. Nowadays she works as a professional chef in London and this book is a love letter to her heritage and gastronomic experiences.
Fried Sardines with Courgette, tahini and Pumpkin seed salad
serves: 6-8 as a sharing plate
“Sardines and tahini for some reason seem to be a good pairing. I love adding tender fresh courgettes to this salad because their delicacy can really take the tahini and lemon sauce to a nicer place. I love the combination of the creaminess of the dressed courgettes together with the crispiness of the sardines.”
INGREDIENTS
2-3 medium courgettes, sliced as thinly as possible
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200ml (7floz) olive oil or a good vegetable oil, for frying
500g (1lb 2oz) sardines, scaled,
gutted and filleted
100g (3½oz) plain flour
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Lemon wedges, to serve
METHOD
1. Slice the courgettes with a sharp knife or with a mandolin if you have one. Sprinkle some salt over them and let them sit for 5 minutes.
2. Heat a pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil followed by the chopped garlic. When the garlic turns golden, add the courgettes and turn up the heat to high.
3. Toss the courgettes for a few minutes until they are just cooked. You want them to have a nice texture rather than turn mushy. Remove them from the heat and put to one side.
4. Heat the oil to fry the fish until hot but not not smoking. (You can test it by sprinkling some flour into the oil, which should bubble instantly if it’s ready.) Season the sardine fillets with salt and dust with flour. Lower into the hot oil and cook on both sides until golden and crispy. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
5. Put the courgettes in a bowl and add the pumpkin seeds, tahini, the remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt. They should look creamy and delicious. Place on a plate and add the fried sardines over the top. Serve with extra lemon wedges.
Courgette and Feta Fritters
serves: 4-6 as a sharing plate
“In the summer months in our restaurant, we used to grate about 10kg (24lb) of courgettes every evening for these. It was incredible how many of them would be ordered. We used just feta in the original recipe but the addition of some hard cheese only makes them better. They are a perfect snack
