Anchovies
TOMATO AND ANCHOVY TART ‘TATIN’
The idea of baking a tomato tart with the pastry uppermost and then turning it upside-down for serving is a good one, as you avoid the problem of soggy pastry. Use a small (but not cherry) tomato such as Sweet 100 – better still if you have them, mix yellow with red tomatoes. Serve as a starter, or for lunch with a selection of cheeses (especially fresh goat’s cheese) and salad.
Serves 4
about 500g small vine-ripened tomatoes (e.g. Sweet 100), halved
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
a pinch of sugar
plenty of chopped basil, oregano and thyme
8 salted L’Escala anchovies, cleaned and filleted
(or 1 x 50g tin anchovies in oil, drained)
300g puff pastry
extra basil or thyme sprigs to garnish
- Arrange the halved tomatoes, cut side uppermost, in a shallow ovenproof dish or tin (NOT with removable bottom, or it will leak) just large enough to take them all in one layer
- Pack the tomatoes in tightly and incline them slightly so that they all fit
- Tuck the anchovies in between them
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oil and sugar, and scatter the herbs on top
- Put the dish under a hot grill for 8-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are just cooked - they will make a lot of juice
- Remove from the grill and allow them to cool a bit
- Heat the oven to 200oC/Gas 6
- Roll out the pastry a bit larger than the dish or tin and lay it over the tomatoes, tucking it inside the rim of the dish/tin
- Snip the centre with scissors to allow steam to escape
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is risen and golden
- Remove the tart from the oven and let it stand for a few minutes
- Carefully tip the juices into a small pan and boil them down hard to reduce
- Cover the tart with a large plate and invert it so the tomatoes are uppermost
- Drizzle the reduced juices on top and decorate with basil or thyme sprigs
HUMMOUS WITH ANCHOVIES
400g cooked or tinned chick peas
2 tbsp tahini (or mayonnaise)
a pinch of ground cumin
juice of ½ lemon
1 small clove garlic, mashed
2-3 chopped anchovy fillets
salt and pepper
- Put the chick peas, tahini or mayonnaise, ground cumin, lemon juice, garlic and anchovies in a food processor or blender
- Process or blend to a smooth purée
- Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary
- Serve with toasted triangles of pitta bread or toast
GRILLED TUNA WITH SALADE NIÇOISE REVISITED
This recipe plays on the original salade niçoise theme, only instead of tinned tuna it uses fresh, and quails' eggs replace the hard-boiled eggs. The only mistake you can make with fresh tuna is to overcook it. If you don’t like fish cooked rare, this recipe is not for you.
Serves 6
a 600g chunk of skinless, boneless fresh tuna
3 L'Escala anchovies, cleaned and filleted or 6 anchovy fillets
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lime
Salad
20 quails’ eggs
250g french beans, trimmed and halved
250g broad beans (shelled)
4 tomatoes, peeled and quartered
a handful of black olives, stoned/pitted
plenty of flat-leaf parsley
rocket leaves
200ml vinaigrette with herbs and garlic
- Make incisions in the fish and insert the anchovy fillets
- Season the fish with salt, pepper oil and lime juice
- Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook the quails’ eggs for 3 minutes
- Drain, refresh them in cold water and peel
- Cook the beans in boiling salted water till tender (6-7 mins)
- Put them in a large bowl and add some dressing
- Stir in the tomatoes, olives, flat-leaf parsley and quails’ eggs
- Arrange the rocket leaves on a large flat plate and spoon the salad on top
- Heat the barbecue, ridged grill pan, or grill/broiler
- Grill the fish for 2-3 minutes on each side until the outside is seared – it should remain rare, otherwise it will be dry
- Slice the tuna and arrange over (or serve with) the salad
PAPPARDELLE WITH BROCCOLI,
ANCHOVIES AND PINE NUTS
Serves 4
250g pappardelle (or other pasta)
salt
a handful of broccoli broken into florets (about 200g)
2 tbsp olive or herb oil
3 cloves garlic, mashed
2-3 L'Escala anchovies,cleaned and filleted (or 6 fillets)
a pinch of dried chile flakes
50g pine nuts, toasted
plenty of chopped fresh parsley
optional: grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
- Bring a large (pasta) pan of salted water to a boil
- Cook the pappardelle according to instructions
- 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the broccoli florets
- Cook till both pasta and broccoli are al dente
- Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving the water
- Heat the oil in the same large pan and fry the garlic till soft but not brown
- Add the anchovy fillets and dried chile flakes
- Put the pasta and broccoli back into the pan with a ladleful of reserved water and toss over moderate heat
- Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Serve in heated soup bowls with toasted pine nuts and parsley on top
- Serve grated Parmesan separately if wished
