I'll give you a preview today, though, because recently I tested out a David Lebovitz recipe. David Lebovitz is one of my favorite bloggers out there. He takes beautiful photos, and he's truly a professional baker and cook. He also doesn't skimp on the writing side, as sometimes happens in blogs. He's funny and entertaining and talented at blending information with anecdote. Check him out.
I've had my eye on this particular recipe for awhile now. You'll notice - ! - it's the first less than 100% vegetarian recipe on this site, which means that I'm letting you all in on a teensy secret: after giving it up for four years, I now occasionally eat fish. Basically, I was eating dinner with some friends a few months back, and when all of a sudden and for no particular reason, I really wanted one of the shrimp tacos. It was eaten, and my taste buds felt happy. (This is also, incidentally, the same way I originally became a vegetarian - suddenly and for no particular reason). However, don't expect me to be eating anything but fish anytime in the foreseeable future. Who knows, though? Maybe I'll start to post fish dishes more frequently on TMTP.
The second thing you'll notice is that I changed the name of this recipe from the name that David Lebovitz uses. Some people just seem to get the jitters when they hear the word paté. Think about it like this. You've all had crab dip, right? You'd still eat it even if it were called crab paté, wouldn't you? Well, this works the same way. Here paté is just a fancy word for dip. Some of you are also probably running the other way because the idea of eating a sardine makes your stomach turn, and to you all, let me just say that even my none-fishing-eating aunt and grandfather liked this stuff. It's a salty snack food that goes perfectly spread on top of a cracker, alongside a tray of munchies like fresh cheese, sliced peppers, olives, and grapes. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Sardine Dip
adapted from David Lebovitz
makes 8 servings
Ingredients
-2 cans of sardines, drained (approx. 300g, preferably packaged in water)
-2 green onions (Lebovitz uses shallots)
-1/2 bunch parsley (Lebovitz uses chives)
-big pinch of chile powder
-1 tbsp. butter, room temperature
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 1/2 - 1 lemon)
Method
in the food processor
Coarsely chop the onions and parsley, and then dump them, along with the drained sardines, chile powder, butter, and olive oil in the processor bowl. If your sardines still have bones, you can leave them in the dip. They are soft and will be easily pulverized. Pulse the ingredients until combined but still chunky. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste, and then pulse a few more times until the seasonings are mixed in and the dip is a little smoother. Then continue to prepare the recipe according to the instructions that follow the "by hand" paragraph.
by hand
Open the sardine cans, drain the fish, and, if the fish are not yet deboned, remove the larger bones (such as the vertebrae) with a fork and paring knife. You probably won't be able to take out all the bones, and that's ok because they are still easy to mash using a fork. Dump the fish into a medium bowl. Finely sliver the green onions, and mince the parsely. Add them to the sardines, along with the chile powder, butter, and olive oil. Mash the mixture with a fork until you achieve your desired texture. Mix in salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
Chill the dip for at least 1 hour before eating, but allow it to return to room temperature to serve. The dip keeps - and even improves - for 3 to 4 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
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