Thursday, June 19, 2008

Hey, I Bet I Love Anchovies More than You Do!

I'll keep this short and savory, since I did such a long post just a day ago and I know your eyes could use the rest.

As you may (or may not) know, I love anchovies. I also love olives. So imagine my delight when I tasted a salad dressed with an olive-anchovy vinaigrette. I know the thought may make some people cringe, but it was very, very good. Just think, a bolder version of Cesar dressing sans the threat of salmonella. I’ve seen similar dressings with capers, and you may choose to substitute capers for anchovies if you’re one of those people who just can’t tolerate anchovies in your food.



Note: use the dry, wrinkly looking olives, not the ones in liquid. Their flavor is more intense and it gives a far better texture to the dressing.

Olive and Anchovy Vinaigrette
makes about ½ cup
1 oz black (pitted) olives, roughly chopped
2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
2 tsp Dijon or coarse mustard
1 tbs honey
3 tbs white wine vinegar
up to 1/3 cup olive oil

You can make the vinaigrette in your blender as you would any other, but I like to do this one by hand. If you go this route, grind the chopped olives in a mortar until you get a paste. Add the anchovies and grind until they are well incorporated. Transfer the paste to a large bowl, add the mustard, honey and vinegar. Whisk to get a uniform mixture. At this point, taste the mixture to see if you want more salt (probably not) or honey or vinegar. When you're happy with the flavor, slowly add the olive oil while whisking vigorously. That's all. See how easy that was?

Tasty and easy and quick and simple. That's what this lunch was. The only thing missing from this salad was some sliced sweet, red onions. Didn't have those so I threw some extra olives on top because, really, you can't have too many olives, right??

I like to serve this with a romaine or red leaf lettuce supplemented with a couple slices of red onion. Remember, a lot goes a long way. It’s also great to use as a dip with crusty bread, especially a nice sourdough. . Or even better, try it as a spread on salami sandwiches. Very delicious!

7 comments:

Manggy said...

People who cringe at the thought don't deserve such good food! (I'm kidding... Don't flame me.) I was a little surprised to see the combination of the salty ingredients and honey. Since I like them individually anyway, I might as well give it a shot, eh? :)

Dee said...

manggy, the salty and sweet go so well together! Besides, I like my dressings a little tangy, with a little bite. But if you're more inclined, leave out the honey, and I won't flame you for it :-)

BTW, I'm doing a BBQ version of your gochujang dish today. I'm so excited!

QGIRL said...

I am ever going to beat Manggy to the first to comment!! lol.
I love anchovies too. Especially on pizza but my hubby gags at the thought. oh well, his loss. thanks for the recipe, I might sneak this in our next salad and see if hubby notices. what a mean wifey I am.
lol!!

dp said...

qgirl, manggy has an advantage because I normally post at night when most people in the US are going to bed and he's awake over there. Or he's just waiting at his computer for my posts :-)

I'd love to hear if you husband does notice the anchovies! What a wonderfully wicked thing to do :-) I think it's funny when people say they can't taste anchovies in food, like in Cesar salad, but I totally can and I love it. I had a friend who swore he hated fish sauce, but he gobbled down my mom's (Thai) food without hesitation. Never understood that one.

Wandering Chopsticks said...

Ooh, I do love both olives and anchovies. I use a whole tin of anchovy filets in my Caesar dressing. Lots of lemon juice offsets the saltiness.

dp said...

WC, now that's my kind of Cesar dressing! Yes, the lemon really compliments and tames the anchovies well.

me said...

Great blog...

I bet you do... I also love anything with anchovies.

1. bread and fry them - Squeeze some lemon on top before eating it, yum.
2. Green Goddess dressing. http://www.culinarycafe.com/Salads/Orig_Green_Goddess_Dressing.html Also add chopped garlic in.