Cornwall

Cornwall, this is Cornwall! If there is one place on Planet Earth, where glorious uncertainties is a way of life, this dear friend is the ultimate pit stop. Vagaries of nature, changing world trends and human greed, have all played their respective roles in shaping the lives of people who have made Cornwall their home(partly or forever).Although very different in nature, fish, tin and copper have been an interactive part of Cornish lives. Many a thousand pilchards have crossed the high seas, aboard copper bottomed vessels, packed to the capacity, in tin cans bound to satisfy hunger pangs of nations unknown. My modern day inspiration, in the form of a recipe thus draws pages from the unusual combinations of Fish (Cornish sardines), tin (the receptacle) and copper (Blue Vein cheese) and creates a feeling of connection between the essential elements of nature that have played a major role in shaping up the lives of generations of Cornish folk. Serves a Family of 4 adventurous eaters Prep 10 mins Cook 25 min Ingredients 8 Freshly landed Cornish Pilchards (Mature Sardines), scaled and filleted 1 Large Aubergine sliced thinly 4 Tablespoons Cornish Clotted Cream 1 Egg beaten 2 Table spoons Cornish Blue Cheese Grated 1 Tea spoon Fresh Oregano Leaves 3 Table spoons Olive oil 1 Lemon Quartered Preheat the Oven at 180 degrees. Cure the Aubergine slices with Olive oil, and keep aside. Slightly fry the Pilchards in a non stick pan, skin side down, and place in a shallow baking tin. Fry the slices of Aubergine in the same pan, for the flavours of Sardine oil to soak into them. Layer the fried Aubergine slices on top of the sardines, and sprinkle some freshly torn oregano leaves on them. Whisk the Clotted cream, mustard and egg along with the grated cheese and pour generously over the fish mixture. Bake the Pilchard Mousakka for 15 minutes (or until the cheese mixture starts bubbling and as a nice brown layer) Serve the Mousakka hot with a seasonal leaf salad and lemon wedges. Trivia The Blue vein in a block of Blue cheese is copper sulphate, created by the introduction of penicillin into cheese blocks.

Pysk, Sten ha Cober (Fish, Tin and Copper)

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