Suzi's Blog
Potatoes, Olives and Capers with White Anchovy Vinaigrette
Yesterday I posted a recipe for White Anchovy Vinaigrette, and I promised today you’d have a wonderful way to use that flavorful dressing.
Here that recipe is: potatoes, olives and capers tossed with the vinaigrette. Talk about sensory overload: here you have anchovy, capers, caperberries, olives, scallions, a host of herbs, mustard and vinegar. The recipe does not call for garlic, but I’m sure you could sneak some in. As specified, this dish is served warm, right off the stove. But the next day, the leftovers present you with an intensely herbed potato salad. Either hot or cold, these potatoes are the perfect match for a high intensity main dish, say a roast leg of lamb.
I hope you experiment with this recipe and can enjoy its abundance of flavors hot or cold.
Potatoes, Olives & Capers with Anchovy Vinaigrette
Yield: serves about 12 people as a side dish
Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cup small, picked springs parsley
½ cup small picked sprigs dill
18 whole caperberries
½ cup capers
18 mixed green and black olives, pitted and split
12 whole scallions, thickly sliced
Half the recipe of What Anchovy Vinaigrette [please see earlier blog]
Preparation:
Put the potatoes in a large pot of generously salted cold water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until just crisp-tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spread out on a plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Cut into rustic, bite-size chunks and season with kosher salt and pepper.
In a very large skillet, sauté pan or pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the potatoes (no crowding!). Roast the potatoes, shaking the pan, for several minutes, until most pieces turn a golden color. Add the herbs, caperberries, capers, olives, and scallions and shake the pan for 1 minute more, just to wilt the herbs and scallions. Add the White Anchovy Vinaigrettte and warm through. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.
Source: How to Roast a Lamb by Michael Psilakis
St. John’s Eve Pasta: Anchovy and Almonds
Mario Batali is a culinary legend, a bundle of energy who has had enormous impact on America’s culinary landscape. His capacity for activity seems boundless: television including Iron Chef, restaurants spanning the continent, personal appearances, cooking contests, and, of course, cookbooks. But not just any cookbooks, for Batali is an enthusiastic advocate for finding and recording authentic recipes. Batali has become a food historian, preserving the culinary past for all generations.
In Molto Italiano, Batali records local recipes, the city-specific ones that make Italian cuisine so richly varied. Travel twenty miles in Italy from one town to another, and you’ll encounter an entirely new set of dishes. You really cannot compare, you can only enjoy.
This particular recipe is from Brindisi, an historic port city in Southern Italy. You’ve probably heard of Brindisi, but you won’t recall where. At the end of this blog, I’ll tell you.
On our first visit to Italy, Suzen and I actually went to Southern Italy and ate in one of the portside restaurants of Brindisi. I ate fresh anchovies at that little place, so when we saw this recipe which uses anchovies and almonds we were intrigued. That’s an unusual pairing of flavors. Knowing Mario, we expected something awesome. We were delighted with the results. So will you be.
Mangia.
Oh, I almost forgot about Brindisi. Remember the movie, and now television series, Spartacus? Kirk Douglas as the Roman gladiator who kills his trainer and leads a slave rebellion against Rome? His goal was to lead the slaves to freedom by crossing Italy, boarding ships and fleeing back to Greece. The port was Brindisi. Something to contemplate as you eat your anchovies.
St. John’s Eve Pasta
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
¾ cup sliced blanched almonds
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
4 salt-packed anchovies, filleted, rinsed, and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ cups tomato sauce
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1 pound lasagnette or pappardele pasta
Preparation:
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
Meanwhile, in a 10-inch sauté pan, gently toast the almonds in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat until golden brown.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to a plate. In the oil remaining in the pan, toast the bread crumbs, stirring, until golden brown and crisp. Combine the bread crumbs and almonds in a small bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons more olive to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the anchovies and crush them into the oil with a fork. Add the anchovies and oil to the bread crumb mixture and season with lots of black pepper. Set aside.
Add the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil to the pan, add the onion and garlic, and coo gently until softened but not browned. Add the tomato sauce, being to a brisk simmer, and cook until the sauce has reduced by one-third. Add the basil, remove from the heat, and set aside.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain the past well, and toss into the pan with the sauce. Add half of the bread crumb mixture and toss to mix well.
Transfer the pasta to a warmed serving blow. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumb mixture over the top, and serve immediately.
Source: Molto Italiano by Mario Batali
