Pinsa primavera with anchovy

For ➍ 

2 pinsa bottoms

400 g baby spinach

1 clove garlic

140 g green pesto

125 g marinated artichoke hearts

50 g anchovy fillet

250 g mozzarella

2 tbs dried oregano

spicy olive oil

nutmeg

salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to the highest setting. Rinse the spinach and drain well. Peel and chop the garlic. Stew the garlic and spinach in a pan with olive oil, season with pepper, salt and nutmeg. Scoop them out of the pan and drain well in a colander. Press out all the liquid with the rounded side of a spoon.

Drain the anchovies and artichoke hearts. Halve the artichoke hearts. Spread a layer of pesto on the pinsa bases and spoon the spinach in heaps on top. Finish them off with the halved artichoke hearts and anchovy fillets. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and top the pinsas with it. Season the pinsas with the oregano and bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Finish the pinsas with a little (spicy) olive oil and the extra spinach. Cut them into pieces and serve.

Orecchiette con cime di rapa (orecchiette with turnip tops)

For ➋ 

250 g orecchiette,

3 garlic cloves, sliced 

½ red chilli, sliced or 2 tsp red pepper flakes

5 anchovies*

200 g turnip tops (leaves teared from stems, chopped)**, or tenderstem broccoli

pecorino or toasted breadcrumbs (optional) 

alt:

150 g Italian sausage

fresh rosemary

white wine

Begin by making and cooking the orecchiette and cooking it in salted boiling water. If using dried pasta, add the shredded turnip tops and cook together. If not, cook the shredded turnip tops in oil in a pan.

Meanwhile, gently fry the garlic and chilli with the anchovies in a little of their oil until the has softened a little and the anchovies have dissolved.

Drain the pasta (reserve 1 tbs of the cooking water), then add the pasta and broccoli to the anchovy pan and toss a few m to coat the pasta evenly. If needed***, add 1 tbs of the cooking water.

Add some pecorino, or crumbled toasted breadcrumbs if wanted.

*or use meat from an Italian sausage instead. 

:: In a pan, add olive oil and sliced garlic in a cold pan.  Add the red pepper flakes and finely chopped fresh rosemary, then crumble the sausage meat. Turn on the heat and cook for 10 m.  Add the chopped turnip tops until soft and tender. Add a small glass of white wine.

Cook the orecchiette in boiling water for 8 m. Drain and add the orecchiette to the vegetables. Add some pecorino, or crumbled toasted breadcrumbs if wanted. ::

**or use tenderstem broccoli.

***when using fresh pasta

Salade niçoise dressing

For ➏*
10 cl red-wine vinegar
2 ½ tbs minced shallot
2 ts French mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced & mashed to a paste with ½ ts salt
½ ts anchovy paste (or mince a few anchovy)
25 cl extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ tbs minced fresh thyme
1 ½ tbs finely chopped fresh basil

Whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard, garlic paste, and anchovy paste in a small bowl until combined well. Add oil slowly. Whisk in thyme, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with fresh tuna & salade niçoise .

*It is quite difficult to get the dressing right with smaller quantities. Make some more and put in the fridge, keeping the salad ingredients apart, or take ⅓ of quantities for 2.

Read more Provençal recipes: fresh tuna & salade niçoise , Provençal garlic sauce, old-fashioned salade niçoise, Saint-Tropez (Provençal) chicken.

Great green goddess salad

For ➍
1 clove garlic
1 small anchovy*
½ handful lightly packed fresh parsley
2 medium scallions, white & green parts separated
½ ts dried tarragon
6 cl plain Greek yogurt
2 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs white wine vinegar
½ ts salt
2 tbs olive oil
125 g baby spinach, washed & dried
1 medium cucumber, peeled & sliced
1 medium avocado, sliced

In the food processor, combine the garlic, anchovy (if using), parsley and the white parts of the scallions. Process to mince very finely. Scrape down and process again. Add the tarragon, yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar and salt and process until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until well mixed. Transfer to a pouring cup or jar; keeps for 4 days, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.
Spread the spinach on a platter or 4 small dinner plates. Cover with cucumber and avocado, and drizzle with dressing, then chop and sprinkle the scallion greens over the salads. Serve immediately. Top with cooked chicken or ham for a main course salad, or serve alongside grilled shrimp.

*The classic green goddess dressing has a hint of anchovy for umami, but if you want to leave it out, you can. Double the amounts in the dressing ingredients to make extra for salads throughout the week.

Lemony green salad

For ➍
1 large clove garlic, crushed (or grated, or mashed into a paste with a pinch of salt)
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs good balsamic vinegar
1 tbs anchovy paste or finely chopped anchovies (or more to taste)*
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lemon (I always use a full lemon)
1 head crisp romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn or chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 stalk celery (2 stalks if small), sliced into half moons
½ cup grated Parmigiano cheese
salt, if needed, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to serve

Add garlic to a large salad bowl
Add olive oil and stir and let sit for a few minutes.
Add vinegar, anchovy, Worcestershire, and lemon juice, and stir. For a thicker dressing, add half the Parmigiano now. You can let this sit while you prepare the rest of your meal.
Dip a lettuce leaf in to taste your dressing. If it doesn't taste fiercely of lemon juice, garlic, and anchovy, add more of those, to taste. The balsamic and Worcestershire should be in the background.
Just before serving, add lettuce and celery and toss.
Add Parmigiano and freshly ground pepper before a final toss.
Serve immediately.

*Replace with salt for a completely vegetarian salad.

Spaghetti alla puttanesca 2 (Naples' hookers' spaghetti)

For ➍
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
salt & black pepper
1 50 g can anchovies packed in oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs tomato paste
½ ts crushed red pepper
750 g box or can chopped or crushed tomatoes
2 tbs drained capers
100 g pitted black olives, chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
grated zest of 1 lemon
340 g spaghetti or other pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 m. Add the anchovies and garlic and cook, stirring, until the anchovies disintegrate and the garlic has softened, 2 to 3 m. Add the tomato paste and continue to stir for 1 m, then add the tomatoes, capers, and olives. Cover the pot, adjust the heat so the mixture simmers gently, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s thick and saucy, 25 to 30 m. Stir in the basil and lemon zest, and taste and adjust the seasoning.
When the water for the pasta comes to a boil, salt it generously and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, usually 7 to 8 m, depending on the package instructions. Reserve about 25 cl of the pasta cooking liquid and then drain the pasta.
Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding the reserved cooking liquid as needed to thin out the sauce. Serve.

Variant & history:Spaghetti alla puttanesca.

Königsberger Klopse (German meatballs)

For ➍
meatballs:
150 g ground sirloin
150 g ground pork
150 g ground veal
1 large egg, slightly beaten
60 g fine plain breadcrumbs
5 cl milk
⅓ medium white onion, finely chopped
zest of ⅓ lemon, finely chopped
juice of ⅓ lemon
1 tbs capers, chopped
1 tbs anchovy paste or 1 tbs crushed anchovy fillets (or sardines or herring)
20 g melted butter
⅓ ts sea salt
¼ ts ground black pepper
flour (for rolling)
broth
3 dl chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 cl cider vinegar
4 cl dry white wine
3 black peppercorns
1 tbs capers
sauce
zest of ⅓ lemon, small finely chopped
juice of ⅓ lemon
1 dl sour cream
1-2 tbs snipped fresh parsley, for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat broth ingredients (stock, bay leaf, cider vinegar, white wine, peppercorns, and 2 tbs capers) to a simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile, combine meatball ingredients, mix well.
Form meat mixture into golf-ball sized balls. Roll them in flour, and carefully place into hot broth; simmer each batch (10-12) for 15 m, but do not boil. The broth will thicken as you add the flour covered meatballs, which will make a nice sauce.
Carefully remove meatballs from the hot broth with a slotted spoon, and keep them warm in a covered bowl stored in the oven while making the sauce. Discard bay leaf.
To hot broth, stir in the sauce ingredients and heat through, but do not boil.
Add the cooked meatballs to the heated sauce, stir gently and warm through.
Serve meatballs and cream sauce with boiled new potatoes (Salzkartoffel) or hot buttered spätzle noodles and German red cabbage. Sprinkle with snipped fresh parsley, for garnish.

*To serve as an appetizer, make the meatballs smaller and serve warm with toothpicks, buttered rolls and potato salad.

Predecessors of the Königsberger Klopse date back to the Middle Ages. The Prussian name Klops (meat dumpling) didn't originate until the 18th century, when Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia, today known as Kaliningrad in Russia.

Tagliolini burro e alici (pasta with butter & anchovy)

For ➍
320 g (fresh) tagliolini*
8 oil-packed anchovy fillets + 1 per plate
120 g unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil

Cook your pasta in plenty of lightly salted water at a jacuzzi-type rolling boil. Stir with a wooden spoon or a long fork quite often. This will ensure the pasta to remain springy and not clump together in clusters during cooking.
(Optionally chop the anchovies).
In a large saucepan melt the butter with a drop of olive oil and the 8 anchovies over very low heat. The butter has to slowly melt without ever bubbling, while the anchovies render a savory, creamy texture to the flavor.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it saving plenty starchy pasta cooking water, and pour the noodles straight into the condiment saucepan. Stir over mild heat to blend well, slowly adding a ladle of cooking water, to obtain even more creaminess.
Put a portion on each plate. Garnish each heap with an anchovy fillet.

*Use this recipe for home made pasta.
Once the pasta dough has rested and is ready to be rolled, dust your work surface with some flour or polenta (cornmeal) and use a well-dredged rolling pin to work the dough to a thickness of about 2 millimeters.
Now roll up your flattened dough like a burrito and cut into 0.5 cm slices. Unravel the coils, dust with a bit more flour or polenta, and shape into nests the size of an egg. Allow a couple hours to dry.

Peperoni alla Piemontese (Piedmont roasted peppers)

For ➍ or ➑*
4 large (Italian) red peppers**
6 medium tomatoes
8 tinned anchovy fillets, drained***
2 cloves garlic
8 ts Italian extra virgin olive oil****
freshly milled black pepper
small bunch fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds. Leave the stalks intact, so they keep the peppers in shape.

Put the pepper halves in a lightly oiled shallow roasting tray.

Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 1 m, drain them and slip the skins off. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place 3 quarters in each pepper half.

Snip 1 anchovy fillet per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes. Peel the garlic cloves, slice them thinly and divide the slices equally among the tomatoes and anchovies.

Spoon 1 ts of olive oil*** into each pepper, season with freshly milled pepper.

Place the tray on a high shelf in the oven for the peppers to roast for 40 m, or put in a 180°C preheated oven for 20-25 m. If necessary, cover the edges with metal foil after 10 m to prevent burning.

Serve the peppers with all the juices poured over. Garnish with a sprig of basil leaves.

Serve warm or slightly cooled to room temperature. Serve with good Italian bread like lukewarm focaccia.

*Larger or smaller starter.
**Italian peppers (peperocini) taste richer than normal bell peppers.
***Or use marinated achovies to add a mild sour taste accent.
****Or, as Elizabeth David noted in her great 'Italian Food', some olive oil and a small knob of butter.

Read more Elizabeth David recipes: lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, fish parcel, poaching an egg.

Tomato & anchovy toast

For ➋
4 tomatoes
2 thick slices crunchy bread
1 clove garlic, peeled, halved
6 anchovy fillets*
1 small onion, chopped finely
1tbs wine vinegar
4 tbs olive oil
salt & fresh black pepper

Mix the onion with the vinegar and ½ of the olive oil. Season. Set aside.

Preheat a grill.

Slice the tomatoes into thick pieces. Put in a oven dish. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over it. Put under a hot grill.

Toast the bread until golden. Rub the garlic on the bread. Pour over some olive oil.

Place the the tomato slices on the toasts. Crush slightly. Add the anchovy fillets.

Drizzle over the onion dressing and eat while hot.

*Fresh, if possible. Or good quality cured ones. The first might be slightly acid, the second salty. Adapt the seasoning. Or use cured ham. Or grilled chicken.

Cavatelli con la rucola (pasta with rocket)

For ➍
400 g cavatelli pasta*
300 g rocket
8 tbs olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
4 anchovies, desalted & boned**
salt
pecorino cheese

Salt some water, bring to the boil. Drop in the cavatelli. When cooked al dente (when fresh 20 m), drain. Drop in the rocket 5 to 10 m before end.
Meanwhile, chop the garlic and sauté in olive oil. Add the anchovies. Let them dissolve in the oil to make a sauce.
Put the sauce over the cavatelli.
Sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese to serve.

*Use orecchiette pasta instead.
**Use shredded smoked ham instead. Make it vegetarian by using capers.