Henri IV was born in Pau in 1553; he became the King of France and Navarre in 1589 until his assassination by Ravaillac in 1610. He was a very popular king, two of his nicknames were: “Good King Henri” & “the Green Gallant,” the latter referring to his constant womanizing. He had to change faith before being crowned, converting from Calvinism to Catholicism and is famous for having said: “Paris is worth a mass!”. He wanted all French families to have a Poule au Pot every Sunday—that is, a stuffed chicken in the pot. Another food anecdote about Henri IV, reported in the Dictionnaire universel de cuisine: Encyclopédie illustrée d’hygiène alimentaire, is that he loved sardines and made them popular at the court of France.
Today there is still a brand of sardines named after him, though I don’t now how good they are as I have never tried them—if you have, please let me know! I usually buy the Brisling in Spring Water because I rather do the seasoning myself with good pungent olive oil. If you read my blog, or know me, you already know that I don’t like, nor buy, canned food — sardines (along with tuna fish, and a couple of tomato cans a year) are the exception that confirms the rule.
The tightly packed sardines in their little tin can are a nutritional gem. Sardines have not only the highest content of Coenzyme Q10 but also tryptophan, Omega-3, calcium, phospohorus, vitamin B12, B3, D, & proteins. This simple food makes for a very quick and healthy lunch.
Recipe:
1 can of sardines
1/4 finely chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
Lots of fresh ground pepper
Salted pastured butter
Mix is all up and serve on buttered toasts. An important note: I butter the toast after they have been toasted, the secret is to have a thin layer of good fresh butter in between the sardine mix and the bread; trust me, that is what makes this little toast exquisite. Serve with Nicole’s simple salad, and if you haven’t yet seen the video, here it is:
3 responses so far ↓
1 Cindy Wilkinson McMullen // May 29, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Quiet Friday at home and the Sardine recipe caught my tastebuds. I made it exactly as written and decided it needed a bit more “zing” – perhaps a result of living in Mexico for a year. I added a few capers and mixed a little dijon mustard with some fresh lime juice and a dash of worcestershire and stirred in it. Perfect! The suggestion about using salted butter and buttering after toasting was wonderful. Also, made your salad as I do several times a week. It is our favorite: simple, refreshing and complimentary to so many dishes. It is very hot her now so we started the meal with a chilled tomato soup and enjoyed a crisp sauvignon blanc. Bon Appetit! Thanks for the continued inspiration.
2 Encore des Sardines! // Jun 29, 2009 at 7:53 am
[...] des sardines! First came the sardine tartine blog, were I mentioned that King Henri IV loved sardines and introduced them to the court; then came the [...]
3 Wild Wild Roast // Aug 24, 2009 at 7:30 am
[...] is definitely roasting well and there is plenty of food to nibble on while we wait. We serve some sardine tartines and the delicious pâté de chevreuil —venison pâté—Paulette made, followed by fresh goat [...]
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