One, last time with the anchovies…
I still do not care for this oily little fish, but can honestly say that I did not hate this recipe as much as I did the Gentleman’s Relish. Mebbe it’s because there was so much more in the sauce that I did like – black olives, garlic, capers, tomatoes and such. Mebbe not.
Don’t believe all those folk who claim the anchovies “melt away leaving nothing but a hint of the sea”.
They melt away, allright, but they leave, to me, a goodly hint of oily fish – which is totally a GOOD thing, I guess – if you happen to like oily fish.
I do not.
Still, when I consider how much I DID NOT hate this sauce along with how much I most certainly DO dislike anchovies; there must be a lot of pretty good stuff going on here, so if you like oily fish, give this sauce thing here a try. You might could like it.
INGREDIENTS
•2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
•4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
•1/4 cup Italian anchovies, drained
•1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
•20 black olives, pitted and chopped
•3 tbsp capers
•28 oz can peeled whole tomatoes
•14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
•1/2 tsp Tellicherry pepper
•4 tsp dried parsley, or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped
•I also added a couple of ends from Balsamic BellaVitano cheese
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper and sauté for 5 or 6 minutes, until the anchovies have ‘melted’ – yeh, right – into the oil and the garlic is tender.
Add the olives, capers, tomatoes, Tellicherry pepper, and parsley along with the the tomatoes.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every now and again.
Nice sauce…
well, except for that whole oily fish thing.
I recently read about an old-time cook who opined that a tablespoon of sugar, added to any dish, would help bring out all the flavors of a dish.
Mebbe I should’ve tried that.
We had ours over some cheese ravioli, topped with shredded Parmesan, and a nice tossed salad on the side.
Twasn’t terrible.
Twasn’t great, either, to my tastes; but then, you do as you like…