R E C I P E S
Anchoïade (Anchovy Spread)
This variable Provençal mixture for toasted or grilled slices of bread differs from the Piedmontese bagna cauda used for dipping raw vegetables — a sauce now common in Provence — mainly in being thicker and uncooked. Anchoïade can be made thicker still with many more anchovies, and sometimes it includes a little vinegar. I like parsley, which is often omitted, and I prefer the texture that comes from reducing the parsley in a mortar. If you don’t have one, a rougher-textured paste can be made by mashing the garlic and anchovies with finely chopped parsley using just the back of a fork. There’s no way to measure parsley accurately, and anyway flat-leaf varieties taste stronger — and even beyond that, intensity varies. Here, fortunately, with the other strong flavors, the exact amount of parsley doesn’t matter.By Edward Behr
4 cloves garlic
4 or more salted anchovies, the filets cleaned of salt, stripped from the bones, and rinsed
2 large handfuls chopped parsley
1 cup excellent, fresh-tasting olive oil
black pepper
Mash the garlic to a paste in a mortar; add and mash the anchovy filets, then the parsley. Mix in the oil. Grind pepper from a mill. Spread the paste on toasted or grilled bread while it’s still hot, and eat immediately. Makes about 1 cup.
