1. Start by soaking the dried raisins in double the amount of water for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 320 degrees and toast the pine nuts for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
3. Finely slice the onions and heat a medium saucepan over low heat.
4. Add the extra-virgin olive oil followed by the onions to the pan and slowly cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Deglaze with the vinegar and reduce the liquid until almost evaporated. Set aside to cool.
5. Line the sardines onto a shallow pan and once the onions and vinegar mixture is cooled, add the raisins, and pour all of it over the sardines.
6. Let this marinade for a couple of hours and garnish a toasted slice of barley sourdough with the fish, finished by topping with toasted pine nuts and parsley.

For the figs:

1. Begin by fermenting honey. This is one of my favorite ways to transform honey into liquid gold with a simple few steps. Measure any amount of honey and add to it 15% of spring water; mix well and transfer into a cleaned and sterilized glass jar.
2. Set a cheesecloth or paper towel over the jar mouth and seal with a lid band. Let this sit at room temperature in your kitchen for at least 3 months. I also love to add to my fermented honeys all kinds of seasonally foraged items, like spruce tips, ramps, or wild berries.
3. Feel free to use regular honey in the meantime while your jar of honey ferments for a few months, but make sure to always source honey locally and from small producers as these types of honey best represent the environment that surrounds you.
4. Prepare your figs. I like to process any dried fruits the night before to allow them to fully rehydrate and express their best qualities. Cut your dried figs in halves or quarters and set into a bowl.
5. Slightly heat the fig liquor in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Make sure you do not boil it, and pour it over the figs.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the figs rehydrate at room temperature overnight.
7. The following day drain your figs and season them with the fermented honey or regular honey.

For the chicken liver mousse:

1. Start by finely chopping your onions and set them aside.
2. Heat large sauté pan or cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Add the chicken fat or olive oil followed by the onion, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves, and slowly caramelize for 10-15 minutes.
3. Lightly season with salt and pepper and deglaze the pan with the white vermouth.
4. With the help of a wooden spoon scrape up the good bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onions to a bowl, pull out the herbs and discard them, and set aside.
6. Wipe your pan with a paper towel and place over medium-high heat. Add your livers and sauté until browned on both sides, but still medium-rare, about 2 minutes on each side.
7. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook just until all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer the livers to a plate or bowl to cool.
8. Toss the cooled livers and onion into a blender (a food processor will also work, but a blender will yield a smoother texture) and turn it on high speed. After the livers have been spinning for about a minute, slowly add the cream and blend to a purée. Taste for seasoning. The mousse should be slightly salty. You can add more black pepper too, if you wish.
9. Pass the blended livers through a fine sieve pour the mousse into an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. The mousse will be kept covered in the refrigerator for 1 week.
10. To assemble. Toast a nice slice of millet porridge bread or your favorite sourdough, add a generous layer of chicken liver mousse, and top with the figs.

1. Begin by making the ragout. Finely dice celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and set aside. Heat a medium-heavy saucepan on medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil, followed by the diced vegetables and bay leaf. Cook the soffritto for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the canned tomato and fill the empty can halfway with spring water. Stir to rinse the remaining tomato and add it to the pan. Gently bring to a simmer.
3. Continue cooking gently on medium heat for about 1 hour or until the sauce thickens then set aside to cool.
4. For the batarsh, I suggest wood-firing the eggplants for the best flavor profile, but a convection oven set at 450 degrees works as well.
5. Wash and pat dry the eggplants and roast them whole, until the skin is almost completely charred and the flesh is soft and tender. Set aside to cool.
6. Cut them open, scoop out the flesh, and transfer into a bowl. Season with finely chopped garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, labneh, ground sumac and torn, fresh mint. Whisk vigorously to homogenize everything together. A food processor could also be used for this step.
7. Serve warm on a large platter topped with the warm ragout alongside some toasted rye crisps to scoop it all up.

1. Begin by making the ricotta. Pour the milk into a heavy sauce pan and warm it gently to 185 degrees over medium-low heat keeping track of the temperature with a digital thermometer.
2. Once the temperature reaches 185 degrees, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, stirring gently for a few seconds.
3. Cover with a lid and remove from the stove. Let it sit covered for 20 minutes and allow the curds to set, then gently ladle the curds into a cheesecloth and set into a colander.
4. Let the ricotta drain for a few minutes then season to taste with fine salt.
5. Enjoy while warm, or place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for later use.
   For the panelle, simply add all the ingredients to a medium-size pot and gently bring to a simmer.
6. Whisk the mixture constantly until you reach a smooth and thick consistency. You can tell it’s ready when the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. This will take about 5 minutes on medium low heat.
7. Line a shallow pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator.
8. Once set you may cut the panelle in squares or triangles and fry them in a pan in abundant olive oil on both sides until golden brown and crispy.
9. Season the ricotta with extra virgin, salt, lemon juice and za’atar.
10. Serve the panelle warm with a dollop of seasoned ricotta and anchovy fillets.

1. Begin by soaking the beans in three times the amount of water in a container overnight in the refrigerator.
2. The following day, drain the beans and rinse under cold water. Place in a large pot and fill with cold water. Add 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 1 onion and 2 cloves go garlic and bring to a gentle simmer. Keep simmering the beans until thoroughly cooked. You should be able to mash them easily with a fork once cooked.
3. While the beans are cooking, proceed with dicing the remaining celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and set aside. Drain the beans and save the cooking liquid.
4. Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add lard followed by the diced vegetables and the bay leaf. Cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes stirring often.
5. Add the beans, coriander, date or maple syrup and tomato paste to the pot and continue cooking with the vegetables for 3-5 minutes.
6. Add the balsamic and with a masher or a fork mash the beans to a rough consistency.
7. Gradually add the bean cooking liquid stirring continuously until you reach the consistency of a thick soup.
8. At this point, remove from the heat and add the walnuts.
9. Drizzle generously with extra-virgin olive oil and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Serve hot alongside thick slices of toasted whole-wheat sourdough.