We are what we eat. And that is a fact. Nowadays it is easy to find organic food in most supermarkets, which means there is an awareness. Many of us do worry about preservatives, sulfites and hormones in our food. It’s easy to find labelled organic flours, sugars, eggs, and meat. But in many cases there is less awareness and knowledge of seasonality.
Ideally the combination of both in our diet will supply us with the most balanced and healthy nutritional intake. When you stick to seasonality the benefits are numerous; lower prices, much more flavour and of course, higher nutritional value. It’s summertime now! And Spanish markets are heaped with seasonal fruits and fish. Our choices for today’s recipe are tomatoes, and sardines.
Sweet and vibrant red tomatoes, rich in vitamin C, containing more than 95% of water, will pair fantastic with fresh intense flavour sardines. Sardines are one of the highest sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids in the planet, and are rich in calcium , iodine and vitamin D. Now, if those aren’t enough reasons to convince you to try this recipe, note that it is super tasty. At Cook and Taste we have lots of fun cooking this recipe with our guests and easy to make, kids love it!
COCA DE TOMàQUETS ESCALIVATS AMB SARDINES / FLAT BRED WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND SARDINES
Coca is one of the most traditional recipes in kitchens and bakeries in Catalunya. It means flat bread, and they can be sweet (pastry cream, pine nuts, sugar, star anise) or savoury , either way the most important trait of a coca is that it has to be very flavorful.
Flatbread
200gr all purpose flour
100g lukewarm water
20g fresh or granulated yeast
20g extra virgin olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Kneed until the dough is soft and let rise for an hour covered with a clean moist cloth on the counter.
Roasted tomatoes
300g large cherry tomatoes
2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
Thyme
Cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters, place them on a tray and sprinkle salt ,sugar and thyme. Add the olive oil and roast 180ºC for 30 minutes.
Let cool.
Sardines
Half a dozen of fresh sardines, sliced in fillets.
Assembly
Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin and some extra flour and place it on a tray covered with parchment paper. Distributed the chilled tomatoes throughout the whole surface of the bread. Drizzle the juices resulting from roasting the tomatoes on top too, and bake for 10 minutes 190ºC. Remove the tray from the oven and randomly cover the coca with the sardine fillets and bake for 3 extra minutes. Sprinkle some flaky salt, and freshly ground pepper and thinly sliced scallions or ramps. Enjoy!
