Beccafico a modo mio

Peel the Giarratana onion, obtain four wedges and cook them for about 25 minutes in a syrup made with 300 ml of water, 150 gr of brown sugar, 150 ml of wine vinegar, 2 flowers of star anise and a pinch of salt. After cooking for 25 minutes, transfer the onions to the oven at 180°C to dry out with a drop of extra virgin olive oil, and leave the sweet and sour to slowly reduce until obtaining a syrup consistency. 

Separate the turnip from the cabbage leaves, leave them whole, remove the stalk from the outer leaves and blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds, then put them in water with ice and blend them with some water and extra virgin olive oil until obtaining the consistency of a sauce. Correct for salt and filter. Before serving, add the soy lecithin to the filtered liquid part, and emulsify using an immersion blender to create the scent.
Clean the turnip and thinly slice, marinate in oil, vinegar and salt.

Clean the sardines by removing the entrails, the heads and the central fishbones and open them like a “wallet” leaving the tail attached, quick dip in vinegar and dry.
Slice the figs horizontally, cover the slices in brown sugar and bake them in the oven, on broil setting for about 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt four of the marinated sardine fillets, add the chopped shallot and brown, add the breadcrumbs and toast. Remove from flame and add the orange zest with the grated Piacentinu Ennese cheese. Correct for salt and black pepper.

Roughly chop the almonds with a blender, cover the fluted aluminium cases with oil, dip the sardines in oil and bread the skin side with the chopped almonds, arrange in a halo shape with the tails facing upwards. Take a teaspoon of the seasoned breadcrumbs, a slice of fig, a thin slice of the Piacentinu Ennese cheese and place on the sardine; repeat the step a second time and finally roll the sardine from the tail. Brush some oil on the tails and keep them closed using some parchment paper and a piece of aluminium foil. Bake for 5-6 minutes at 180 C°.

Prepare the almond sauce by blending the almonds until reduced into flour, add water gradually until obtaining a cream, salt and add sunflower seed oil in small doses to emulsify.
Sift the mixture twice before serving.

Plate by putting the almond sauce on the bottom of the dish, place the sweet and sour onion petals, and finally the savoury pie. Finish with the balsamic vinegar reduction, the marinated cabbage chips, the leaves and finally the cabbage scent.