Roasted Peppers with Anchovy

A A recipe inspired by our travels to Spain and using what is found in our garden/locally in Italy. The roasted peppers and anchovies are a great start to your summer dinner or served it on crostini for lunch with a wedge of cheese! A note on anchovies: First if you think you are not a fan, try it again. This dish is not meant to be 'fishy' - it is the salty, brininess of the anchovies that perfectly compliment the roasted peppers (and they are even better with the smoky flavor from the grill!)

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH ANCHOVIES

4 large peppers
1 clove of garlic
4 anchovy filets
handful of herbs (basil or oregano)
salt and pepper
about 3 TB red wine vinegar
about 7 TB good extra virgin olive oil

Roast the peppers in the oven, on the gas stove-top or better yet on the grill, blackening the skins of the peppers.
Then place the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap until cool.
Once cool remove the skins and seeds.
Slice into 1cm or 1/2 in strips.
Mince the garlic & tear up the herbs - adding both to the peppers.
Add your anchovy filets.
Season with salt & pepper.
Add the red wine vinegar & olive oil.
Mix and let sit for a few hours. (It gets better as it sits.)
Serve!
This will pair perfectly with crostini/crusty bread and a wedge of cheese!

We made this dish in last night's cooking class!

Chicory Salad with Anchovy Dressing - Puntarelle alla Romana

Chicory with Anchovy Dressing

Until fairly recently there was a certain amount of discussion outside of Rome as to what puntarelle are. Turns out they're chicory shoots of a variety known as Catalogna, picked while still young and tender. Slightly bitter, crisp and fresh this pairs perfectly with salty anchovies and a squeeze of lemon.

Chicory with Anchovy Dressing
puntarelle alla romana (salsa di alici)

1 head of puntarelle, chicory, radicchio, endive or any winter lettuce.

Prepare the puntarelle: Remove the spindly outer dark green leaves to reveal the heart. This resembles a weird looking bunch of white asparagus tips. Remove the stalks from the center core, slice in half length wise and wash. Spin dry thoroughly.

Dressing:
1 spoonful of lemon juice
3 spoonfuls of olive oil
1/2 clove of garlic, minced finely
1/2 - 1 anchovy filet
salt & pepper

This recipe is really simple and can be expanded to make as large as a quantity as you want - just follow the three to one ratio.

In a bowl or mortar and pestle combine the garlic, lemon and anchovy. With either a fork or pestle make sure everything is pulverized and mixed together well. Once you are ready, continuously stir, drizzle in the olive oil. Give it a good stir until the oil has fully incorporated.  Taste and adjust the salt & pepper and acid to oil ratio.

Make a tiny bit or enough to feed an army - it’s easy & delicious!

Absolutely Addictive: Fried Anchovies & Sage

For those out there that think of anchovies as "bait" taste again!

The oily anchovies pair perfectly with the savory flavor of sage, dipped in a light batter and fried quickly until golden they are absolutely addictive & perfect with a glass of white wine before dinner.   Commonly overlooked, but absolutely delicious is the blue fish family or pesce azzuro - anchovies, sardines, mackerel, etc.  they are not only flavorful but rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

We're posting this recipe of Fried Anchovies with Sage, not only because it's one of my all-time favorite antipasti but to celebrate the reopening of the Adriatic Sea for fishing. Every year, the Adriatic closes fishing for six weeks in the summer - hey even the anchovies need a holiday!

Fried Anchovies with Sage
Acciughe fritte con la salvia

1lb of fresh anchovies, cleaned, spine removed - you can use small sardines as well.
sage leaves (optional - if you are not a fan of sage just omit)

batter
1 cup of flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
seltzer water
vegetable oil for frying

In a bowl combine flour, eggs, salt & baking powder. Slowly add in seltzer water & mix until forms a thin batter. Cover with plastic & set in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat oil in a pot to 350 degree.

Remove batter from fridge and mix once or twice (batter will have separated)

Take a sage leaf & anchovy put them together & dip into the batter - allowing access batter to drip off. Fry 20 seconds a side until golden brown.

Remove from oil & drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt & serve immediately.

Pairs great with Prosecco or a crisp white wine like Verdicchio D.O.C.

Savory Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Filet of Anchovy

It's tomato season,  so keep it simple while cooking.  No need to make heavy sauces with all those gorgeous tomatoes that are bursting with flavor - try a simple 5 ingredient recipe with slow roasted tomatoes, herbs, loads of olive oil and topped with a filet of anchovy! This recipe is straight from the seaside of Le Marche, where we first devoured this delicious antipasto in Numana.

On a hot summer's day, we keep the kitchen oven off & make these in our outdoor wood burning oven!

Roasted Tomatoes with Anchovies

Pomodori al forno con le acciughe

serves 4
4 round tomatoes (we grow & use grappolo for this dish)
small handful of any fresh herbs you like, chopped - we use oregano but you can also use basil, thyme, etc.
salt & pepper
good quality extra virgin olive oil
8 high quality anchovy filets, (we use anchovies from Sardegna packed in salt)

Preheat oven to 150 C or 280 F

Cut the top 3rd off the tomatoes & discard top.

Place tomatoes on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper & herbs. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.  Place in the oven for 4-6 hours depending on the size of your tomatoes. Every once in a while as you pass the kitchen, baste the tomatoes in the juices & olive oil in the pan.

Once the tomatoes shrivel up a bit & start to look sun-dried, they are ready. They should still hold their shape & not become mush.

Remove from oven, top each tomato with a whole anchovy filet. Serve warm or room temperature with olive oil from the baking pan drizzled over the top.

Stuffed Lemons Cooked in the Oven - Limoni Cotti al Forno

Stuffed lemons with tomatoes, anchovies, basil & mozzarella is a delicious antipasto and perfect example of balancing flavors. We first tried this mouthwatering two-bite bit of heaven on the Amalfi Coast and have been recreating it ever since. Even though it is not a traditional dish of Le Marche, Jason likes to use it in his cooking classes to teach how to balance flavors in the kitchen: fat, acid, sweet, salty & aromatic. The creamy mozzarella subdues the tartness of the lemon; sweet cherry tomatoes go perfectly with the aromatic basil; and salty anchovies round out the dish.  All five of these ingredients work together harmoniously so that none of them are overpowering creating a balanced flavor.

This dish is also fantastic because you can make it your own very simply. Don't like anchovies? Try some capers or olives instead,  better yet go meaty and throw in a little prosciutto to get that salty component that is needed.  In Autumn, when the basil is gone and the frost have taken the tomatoes use the ingredients of that season to substitute (Gorgonzola, pear and walnuts sound good to me).   Be creative!  Keep this philosophy in mind and you can adapt any recipe to fit the season.

Lemons Cooked in the Oven
Limoni Cotti al Forno

2 Large unwaxed lemons
1 or 2 balls of buffalo mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch  or 1/2 cm thick pieces
4 fresh basil leaves
2 anchovy fillets
2 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 F / 215 C

Remove the ends of the lemons & discard them (don’t cut in to deep - you want to keep a closed bottom). Then cut the lemons in half crossways, giving you little lemon bowls.

Using a small knife, remove the lemon flesh, leaving you with 4 hollow lemon rind bowls. (Again you don’t want to break-into the rind)

Cut a piece of mozzarella to fit inside, then lay a basil leaf, half an anchovy fillet and half a cherry tomato on top with a pinch of salt & pepper and a little drizzle of good olive oil. Put another slice of mozzarella on top - the lemon should now be filled up. Do the same to the rest of the lemon bowls.

Place on a baking sheet & cook in a preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden & bubbling.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. To eat: scoop the mozzarella out and eat with the bread to soak up any juices!

Fried Anchovies with Sage

If you have not tried anchovies before - you must try them now! Get over any weird apprehensions or that its just bait or a punchline for a joke about pizza ("extra anchovies")! These little suckers are delicious & actually good for you! Baked, fried & grilled - they are ohh so good and worth a try. If your not up to it, then pass me your plate because I love'em!
Here is my favorite - Fried Anchovies - the recipe below adds a sage leave to each piece of fish as well for an extra burst of flavor & color.

Fried Anchovies with Sage
Acciughe fritte con Salvia

1lb of anchovies cleaned, spine removed
sage leaves (optional - if you are not a fan of sage just omit)

batter
1 cup of flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
seltzer water

vegetable oil for frying

In a bowl combine flour, eggs, salt & baking powder. Slowly add in seltzer water & mix until forms a thin batter. Cover with plastic & set in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat oil in a pot to 350 degree.

Remove batter from fridge and mix once or twice (batter will have separated).

Take a sage leaf & anchovy put them together & dip into the batter - allowing access batter to drip off.

Fry 20 seconds a side until golden brown.

Remove from oil & drain on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with salt & serve immediately.

Pairs great with prosecco or white wine.