Grilled Sardines Olive Pesto And Cauliflower Puree Food

SIMPLE GRILLED SARDINES

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or stovetop grill pan, or light the broiler.
• Season sardines inside and out with salt and pepper and paint both sides lightly with olive oil.
• Lay sardines on the grill and cook them on one side for about 2 minutes, until nicely browned. (Sardines rarely stick to the grill.) Carefully flip sardines and cook for about 2 minutes more, until just done.
• Transfer each portion to individual plates. Put the sliced fennel in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dress with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Place a pile of dressed fennel evenly on each plate. Serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of parsley.

CAULIFLOWER PUREE

Steps:

• Set up a collapsible steamer or bamboo steamer over a pot of water. Toss the cauliflower, potato, and zest together and put in the steamer. Season with the salt and pepper, to taste. Cover, and cook over medium heat until the potatoes and cauliflower are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Puree the vegetables, in batches if needed, in a blender or food processor with olive oil and a couple tablespoons water, until smooth and creamy. Season with the salt and pepper, if needed. Reheat in a saucepan, stirring over medium-low heat. Serve.

GRILLED SARDINES, OLIVE PESTO AND CAULIFLOWER PUREE

Steps:

• You can replace sardines with smelt, herring or mackerel.
• For the cauliflower puree:.
• Cook the cauliflower in salted boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the water and transfer cauliflower to a blender. Add butter and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• For the pesto:.
• In a blender, combine olives, basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup almonds, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
• For the grilled sardines:.
• In a skillet, grill sardines in olive oil for 1 minute on the skin side. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• For the serving:.
• Pour some cauliflower puree on the bottom of a plate, top with 3 sardine fillets. Garnish each sardine with a dollop of the green pesto. Crush the remaining almonds sprinkle. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve.
• Cook's Note:.
• You can replace sardines with smelt, herring or mackerel.

GRILLED SARDINES

Steps:

• Scale and gut the sardines (you can have your fishmonger do this). Wash the sardines under cold, running water and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly salt the sardines with coarse sea salt and refrigerate. Meanwhile, boil 2 potatoes until a knife is easily inserted. Drain and cool.
• Roast 2 red bell peppers over an open flame until charred. Place in a bowl and cover it with plastic to allow it to steam for approximately 20 minutes. Remove the plastic and peel and seed the peppers.
• Cut peppers into 3-inch wide strips and combine in bowl with 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/8 cup white wine vinegar, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Preheat a grill.
• Place the sardines on a hot grill. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and place on the grill. When the sardines are done on first side, flip them over, and give the potatoes a quarter turn to create the grill marks.
• Place 3 sardines on each plate with 2 potato halves and some red pepper salad. For decoration and extra flavor, sprinkle with some thinly sliced onions and garlic over the sardines and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
• The ideal accompaniment for this dish is some Portuguese rolls and a nicely chilled Vinho Verde Portuguese wine.

GRILLED CAULIFLOWER WITH CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high.
• Add the cauliflower, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a large mixing bowl. Toss to coat the cauliflower. Transfer to a grill basket and grill, tossing occasionally, until the cauliflower is charred in places and softened, about 10 minutes. (This can alternatively be done on an indoor grill pan.)
• Transfer the grilled cauliflower to the serving bowl with the Cilantro Pesto and toss to coat.
• Garnish with Cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
• Add the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, pepper flakes and garlic to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse together until the garlic is finely chopped. Next, add the cilantro and blend until smooth. Add the cashews and Cotija cheese and pulse until the mixture becomes a thick paste and is evenly combined. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and set aside until the cauliflower is grilled.

KALAMATA OLIVE PESTO

Steps:

• Toss everything into the food processor, pulse until just combined, then process fully until a paste is achieved.

GRILLED FRESH SARDINES

Steps:

• Brush both sides of fish using 1 tablespoon oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Rub cut sides of bread with garlic. Brush with remaining oil, and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Grill bread until crisp, about 1 minute per side. Grill sardines until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve on a platter with bread and lemon wedges.