Your ideas for using anchovies & paste, please

[vitauta]

i didn't discover my love for the taste of anchovies until adulthood. i only knew them as a topping option for pizza, and for me, this was never their place to shine--rather a place to shrivel up and dry...while i love my little rye sandwiches with sweet butter, thin ham, tomato, hard-boiled egg and a heap of anchovies, i would just love to learn to cook with them now. how do others, more enlightened than i, use these lovely little morsels in their kitchens and at their dining tables? please hurry--i've become ravenously hungry just writing this....

 

[Andy M.]

Using anchovies in recipes is less about the taste of the fish and more about how it enhances the flavor of the dish. For example, adding a couple of filets to a tomato sauce won't make it fishy tasting but will add to the overall taste of the dish.

 

[pacanis]

I sauté diced anchovies (and garlic) in EVOO when starting the puttanesca I make. Sometimes I use paste, but I'd just as soon use the little fishies. They don't seem to splatter as much as the paste and are easier to get around here.

 

[CraigC]

Andy is right. We use them as we would a spice. A Caesar dressing would not be tradional without them.

Craig

 

[kadesma]

You might want to give this a try.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f20/pasta-in-an-emergency-tnt-72365.html
​

kadesma

 

[merstar]

Make a Muffaletta. Here's a recipe to check out:
Lidia's Italy: Recipes: Muffaletta Sandwich

More recipes from my to-try list:
PARISIAN TUNA SANDWICHES
Parisian Tuna Sandwiches Recipe : Food Network Kitchens : Food Network

WHITE BEANS WITH GARLIC, LEMON AND PARMESAN
White Beans with Garlic, Lemon & Parmesan

PAN-ROASTED SALMON WITH CITRUS-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Pan-Roasted Salmon with Citrus-Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe at Cooking.com

SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, ANCHOVIES, AND CHILI
Dinner Tonight: Spaghetti with Garlic, Anchovies, and Chili | Serious Eats : Recipes

 

[taxlady]

Salade Niçoise

 

[CWS4322]

If you have access to Swedish anchovies, (which actually are sprats...now I have to find out what the difference is between anchovies and sprats) Jannson's Temptation is nice.

Jansson's Temptation (Janssons Frestelse) Recipe - Allrecipes.com

If you can't get Swedish anchovies (IKEA--keeps them in the refridgerated food case), you can use the Italian or Spanish ones, but rinse them well. The brine for the Swedish anchovies is very different. If you can't get either, you can make the same with pickled herring, but to me, it is not the same. I usually add some garlic and saute the onions and garlic. I also cut the potatoes in "slices" not match sticks. And, I add 1/2 the cream and cook the dish for about 15-20 minutes, then I drop the temp to 350 and add the rest of the cream and cook until they are done...some people dust the potatoes with flour first, I don't do that (a good friend in high school was from S'holm and always made these when he brought s/thing to a potluck). I make these every year for XMas Eve...and New Year's Eve...and a couple of times in between...

I'm surprised TaxLady didn't share this use of anchovies...

There's also Norwegian Sailor Stew to which you add a couple of anchovies...

 

[taxlady]

If you have access to Swedish anchovies, (which actually are sprats...now I have to find out what the difference is between anchovies and sprats) Jannson's Temptation is nice.

Jansson's Temptation (Janssons Frestelse) Recipe - Allrecipes.com

If you can't get Swedish anchovies (IKEA--keeps them in the refridgerated food case), you can use the Italian or Spanish ones, but rinse them well. The brine for the Swedish anchovies is very different. If you can't get either, you can make the same with pickled herring, but to me, it is not the same. I usually add some garlic and saute the onions and garlic. I also cut the potatoes in "slices" not match sticks. And, I add 1/2 the cream and cook the dish for about 15-20 minutes, then I drop the temp to 350 and add the rest of the cream and cook until they are done...some people dust the potatoes with flour first, I don't do that (a good friend in high school was from S'holm and always made these when he brought s/thing to a potluck). I make these every year for XMas Eve...and New Year's Eve...and a couple of times in between...

I'm surprised TaxLady didn't share this use of anchovies...

There's also Norwegian Sailor Stew to which you add a couple of anchovies...

I guess my dad didn't like it. It's a Swedish dish and my Danish mother learned all the Swedish dishes that my dad liked.

 

[Selkie]

I use anchovies as a savory alternative to directly adding salt in many dishes.

 

[vitauta]

I sauté diced anchovies (and garlic) in EVOO when starting the puttanesca I make. Sometimes I use paste, but I'd just as soon use the little fishies. They don't seem to splatter as much as the paste and are easier to get around here.

i simply must try this puttanesca dish "named for ladies of the night", according to rachael ray, "they would place pots of it in their windows to tempt men into their bordellos." i guess we ladies of the day could learn a thing or two from these ladies about...spices in sauces...and...such stuff.

 

[CWS4322]

I've added the paste to egg salad. I've also added the paste when making deviled eggs to the yolks...

 

[Rocklobster]

Bagna Couda. Google a recipe you like. It is very good.

 

[pacanis]

i simply must try this puttanesca dish "named for ladies of the night", according to rachael ray, "they would place pots of it in their windows to tempt men into their bordellos." i guess we ladies of the day could learn a thing or two from these ladies about...spices in sauces...and...such stuff.

The story I heard, as told by Sam Zien (Sam the Cooking Guy), was that the ladies would stop into the restaurants as... err... "work" came to an end late at night, looking for a cheap, quick meal. And pasta puttanesca was born.
I can certainly see the allure of a tasty dish in a window though.
(no play on words going on here)

 

[Andy M.]

The story I heard, as told by Sam Zien (Sam the Cooking Guy), was that the ladies would stop into the restaurants as... err... "work" came to an end late at night, looking for a cheap, quick meal. And pasta puttanesca was born.
I can certainly see the allure of a tasty dish in a window though.
(no play on words going on here)

OK. If you're a "lady of the night" and you have to use food to attract men, you probably should seek another line of work.

 

[pacanis]

OK. If you're a "lady of the night" and you have to use food to attract men, you probably should seek another line of work.

I look at it like when gas station attendants used to check your oil and wash your windshield. Nothing wrong with full service. In some cases it may make up for poorer quality gas... but that's another thread

 

[Robo410]

a fish pie (like a shepherds pie but with white fish on sauteed spinach, a white sauce flavored with anchovy and bacon, and topped with mashed potatoes and baked until golden brown.

in the base of a clam chowder with the onions and bacon

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Make pockets in a leg or shoulder of lamb, stuff the pocket with garlic bits, rosemary and anchovy bits then roast.

 

[buckytom]

i love them minced on a salad of sweet greens, shaved veggies, and a sweet balsamic dressing. they become the salty/umami component of the dish.

 

[vitauta]

anchovies (or anchovy paste) are right at home swimming and mingling with the olives 'n stuff in a homemade tapenade. so simple and rewarding to do.