Ingredients

Serves 2

Sardines
100ml olive oil
1 lemon rind & juice
2 sprigs oregano
Salt and pepper
8 butterflied & deboned sardines
Toast for serving


Spiced Tomatoes
Serves 2-4
75ml olive oil
½ white onion finely sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sunflower seeds
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch sumac
Pinch salt flakes
1 x 400g tin cherry tomatoes (can use crushed)
40ml red wine vinegar
1 tbsp baby capers (washed and rinsed)


Roasted Pumpkin
1 butternut pumpkin peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
100ml olive oil
Salt and pepper


Pinenut & Currant Dressing
Makes 1 cup
2 tbsp honey
75ml red wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
2 tbsp currants (soaked in warm water and drained)
2 tbsp pinenuts toasted (in oven 200°C 3 minutes)


For the salad
This is enough for the pumpkin salad and the sardines
Serves 2
100g feta
2 cups mixed herbs and rocket


 

Method

Sardines
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Mix together in a container the oil, lemon rind and juice and the oregano. Season with salt and pepper then infuse the sardines for a few hours. The sardines will keep in the oil mix for up to 5 days. Once ready to serve take out the sardines from the oil and place onto a tray and pop into the oven for 3-5 minutes until cooked.

Spiced Tomatoes
Place a saucepot measuring 200mm over a medium flame. Add the oil and heat for a minute then add the onion, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds and cook out until the seeds start to go a light brown(3-4 minutes). Add the cayenne, sumac and salt flakes and cook for 1 minute then add the tomatoes, vinegar and capers. Increase the flame to a high heat and bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the tomato mix is thick to the consistency of a chutney. It is now ready to serve.

Roasted Pumpkin
Pre heat oven to 200°C.
Place the pumpkin onto an oven tray and mix in the oil then season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven for 25-35 minutes turning every now and then until golden brown and cooked. Take out of the oven and let rest until warm.

Pineunut & Current Dressing (for sardines and pumpkin salad)
In a 1 litre pot add the honey and place onto a medium flame. Bring the honey to a boil then add the vinegar and reduce by a quarter. Add the oil  and bring back to the boil then take off the heat.
Quickly stir in the currants and pinenuts and keep at room temperature. This dressing will keep for two months in an airtight container in the cupboard for later use.

Salad (for sardines and pumkin salad)
Place altogether in a mixing bowl.

Method for plating:
The sardines
Place a slice of toast cut in half onto a plate, spoon over the toast the tomato mix. Add the sardines on top of the tomatoes. In the mixing bowl add a few tablespoons of the pinenut dressing to the salad then toss and place over the sardines making sure you get a little bit of the pinenuts, currants, salad and feta onto the dish.

The pumpkin
Once the pumpkin is warm, place into a mixing bowl and add 5 tablespoons of the pine nut dressing. Mix in some of the feta and salad leaves and present on a plate.