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By Root 854 0

to be boiled for vitello tonnato is often larded with anchovy fillets. This was common practice in the past, in England, with beef, too.

HARICOTS À L’ANCHOIADE

This is an example of the agreeable southern French habit of eating garlicky mayonnaise sauces with hot food, such as soup, vegetables and fish. Anchoiade is often served with boiled salt cod and boiled potatoes. It can also be stirred into fish and tomato soup or fish and saffron soup, instead of a peppery rouille*. Try it with hard-boiled eggs, instead of the usual mayonnaise. Delicious. Or with baked potatoes and cold beef.

Serves 6

500 g (1 lb) haricot beans

salt

9–10 anchovy fillets

2–3 cloves garlic

1 large egg yolk

150 ml (5 fl oz) olive oil

chopped parsley

Soak and boil the beans in unsalted water in the usual way. Add salt when the beans are just cooked, and give them another 5 minutes.

In the meantime pound anchovies, garlic, and the egg yolk to a paste. Add the oil (which must be olive oil) gradually, as if you were making a mayonnaise*. If you use a blender, include some of the egg white when the anchovies, garlic and yolk are being whirled to a paste.

When everyone is ready for the meal, drain the beans and fold in the anchoiade. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. The dish can be eaten cold, but the flavours are clearer and lighter when hot.

ANCHOIADE DE CROZE A splendid elaboration of the simple anchoiade of Provence, which was given – in Les Plats régionaux de France – by Count Austin de Croze. In the twenties, he was one of the leaders, with Curnonsky, of the new interest in the food of France outside Paris, and the grand restaurants of the haute cuisine.

Serves 12

60 g (2 oz) finely chopped parsley, chives, tarragon

2 good sprigs green fennel leaves, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 dried figs, finely chopped

1 small dried red pepper

12 blanched almonds

12 anchovies in oil or 12 anchovies in brine, washed

4 or more tablespoons olive oil

lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange-flower water

12 brioches, bridge rolls or finger rolls

black olives

Mix the ingredients up to and including the figs. Pound the next four together to a paste. Combine the two mixtures. Add lemon juice to taste, and then the orange-flower water – go slowly because it has a surprisingly dominating flavour. (If you want to do the chopping and pounding in a blender, you will need more olive oil.) Open the brioches, or rolls. Spread the top side with the anchoiade, and brush the bottom side of the cut with olive oil. Close the rolls, and heat for 5–10 minutes at gas 6–7, 200–220°C (400–425°F). Serve surrounded by black olives.

JANSSON’S TEMPTATION

The name of this dish is an incitement to culinary myth-making. For instance: ‘Eric Janson, the Swedish religious reformer who founded Bishop Hill, Illinois, in 1846, preached rigorous asceticism to his followers, no liquor and a diet that barely sustained life. One day, according to legend a zealous Jansonist discovered the prophet feasting…’ But as Jansson is a Swedish equivalent of Smith or Jones, why look any further for a meaning than ‘Everyone’s Temptation’? A gloss which is perfectly convincing when one has tasted this piquant gratin of potatoes, onions, anchovy and cream. Don’t use milk instead of cream, as many Swedes do these days, or the beauty of the title will escape you.

Norwegian ‘anchovies’ should be used but they are tricky to find.

Serves 6

3 large onions

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes

3 tins anchovies

freshly ground black pepper

300 ml (10 fl oz) double or whipping cream

60 g (2 oz) butter

Peel and thinly slice the onions. Peel the potatoes and cut them into matchstick strips (a mandolin cutter saves time). Grease a shallow oval gratin dish with a butter paper. Arrange about half the potato strips in an even layer, then make a lattice of the anchovies on top. Cover with the onions and the rest of the potatoes. Season well with