Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Garlic - Anchovy essence on Linguini

Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Garlic - Anchovy essence  on Linguni


Find good sprouting broccoli, although this works with tendersteam too, if you boil the stems soft first ; however they are endlessly more tasteful and better for this dish (they also cook easier, if using big broccoli heads, try cutting the broccoli stalks thin first).
* watch the salt on this, the anchovies should provide all of it, and the pecorino will add some more. So dont add any more.

-good thick linguini
-1 big bunch of p.s. broccoli,  or tenderspeam, stems separated from stalks, tops broken to florets.
-2 tbsp tomato paste
-dry white wine / or red *
-tin of plump peeled tomatos - Open the tomatoes with your hands and run under water, to remove the seeds.
-1 cup water
-6-7 cloves of garlic, smashed with the back of a knife and skin off.
-red pepper flakes
-pinch of flour
-2/3 tin of anchovies in oil. roughly de boned and split in halves.
-1 tiny drop of natural soy sauce
- Good olive oil
- Flat-leaf Basil, fresh

* Wine;
For this sauce you can use white or red, depending really on what you fancy drinking with it..  Either will make a great sauce, the white tangier and the red deeper.

Fry the brocoli stalks in a little oil, brown it lightly and then add hot water, cover and cook until al dente. 10 mins or so depending on broc type.
While the broc stalks are simmering, in another, smaller pan, fry in gentle heat, 6-7 anchovies, with the garlic (very gently) so it bubbles and makes a nice mess. 5-7 minutes in, when it gets dry and browny add the tomato paste, and brown a little more, then the whine and bay leaf.  stir the bottom so the anchovies are totally disolved. add red pepper flakes, a good pinch.

then add 1 cup water, and crumble the tomatoes with your hands into the mess. Cook the sauce for 10 miutes or so, then take out most of the broccoli & reserve. Add a pinch of flour and stir. Let the rest of the sauce simmer gently, until sauce is thickened, add a hearty laddle of olive oil . Right at the end add a 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped & stir in.

When your linguini is ready;
Add a splash of the past water into the sauce.
Stir the pasta with the tomatoey sauce, and serve, adding the broccoli you reserved on top of each plate.
Grate pecorino

rich rocket pesto

you need;
-1 big bunch of italian rocket, washed & dried well
-juice of half lemon,
-juice of half an orange
-1 clove garlic, 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (toast them without Any oils, for a few minutes on low heat)
- 1/3 red onion,
-pepper,
-1/2 teaspoon soy sauce,
-1 tiny pinch curry powder,
-1/4 cup olive oil,
-1/2 cup pecorino romano chunks, or grana Or parmigiano but pecorino is best.

-couple of leaves of basil optional.

Put in blender, blend.


This is a rocket pesto that works on its own right on pasta or as a dressing.

Anchovy reduction for lamb fillets / fish / poultry/ pasta

This is an extremely versatile sauce, which happily coats linguini, beef fillet, poultry, or sits on the side of a mild fish dish.

Put 1 -2 anchovies , 2 tbspns of their oil, 1 bay leaf and a garlic clove or two, smashed. And a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes.
Let gently heat up, on very low heat, and after 3-4 minutes start shuffling it around with a wooden spoon, pushing down and disolving the anchovies and garlic, like a heated-pestle-and-mortar.

As it becomes messy and darker add a splash of *white wine and a tablespoon of water.
Take off the heat and let cool.

* Cognac instead of wine is great for red meats, and so is butter in that case instead of oil.

-But you can substitute that stage with lemon for fish or poultry, and stock or water from a pasta pot if using as a pasta sauce.
-Another variant is to add 1 tspn of tomato paste in the beginning for a sweeter result to offset the saltiness of the anchovies.

Warm Salad Of Smoked Mackerel Topped With Poached Egg With Dijon Dressing

Warm Salad Of Smoked Mackerel Topped With Poached Egg With Dijon Dressing

For two as a main or hefty starter, you shall need;

-2 fillets Mackerel, smoked, peppered. -2 tbspns mustard, dijon prefered (if your mustard is not too acidic add a tad of vinegar) -lambs lettuce -dash of soy cream or other light cream (dash = about 2 tbspns) -1/3 a big banana shallot, or 1 normal shallot -1 tsp olive oil, mild. -2 eggs, good uns. -splash of vinegar for the egg poaching.
-french beans, trimmed.
-Parsley to taste -red pepper flakes to taste.

-- Preheat oven to 220, and boil water in pan. stick mackerels when oven is hot for 10 minutes. Same time, bring a small pan of water (2 inch deep at least) to the boil, on High heat, it ll need it.
In that time; Boil beans til tender and drain. Less than 2-3 mins but it ll be about 10 mins if you count the mackerel bake. Start the water & over together.
-blend (in blender or by hand) the shallots, mustard, oil and cream. Thats the dressing!
-poach 2 eggs in the small pan of water, one each time ; remember to spin the water and add vinegar before putting in the eggs. Looks neater.
When 10 minutes are gone and your beans are done and your eggs are poached; (DONT HARD BOIL THE EGGS PLEASE, must be quite runny, the heat of the fish & beans will finish them off).
lay out lambs lettuce and roughly stir dressing in, onto 2 plates.
Place the beans on top of the lettuce/dressing.
Lay one mackerel on the centre of each plate (skin on or not, to taste).
Place a poached egg on each mackerel fillet.
dot with red pepper flakes and parsley.