Quick Monday post: anchovy and breadcrumb cake
I clearly remember my past life’s Sundays: a well-known lump in my throat, the Monday unavoidability, and the gloomy return to an office that was getting more suffocating every day. Now Sunday has a different mood. If I think about it, if I pause and think about my life, I’m happy. It is not one of that sugary happiness you are not able to explain, it is not the fluttering butterflies in the stomach, a feeling I would warmly welcome, though, even tomorrow.
This is conscious happiness.
I know that I am so blessed as to be able to do what I love, tomorrow morning and in the following days: cooking, writing, photography, cooking classes, where every time I’m so lucky to share a different experience with interesting and curious people. In the far from being the simple rhythm of my daily life – yes, I have not come yet to the perfect organization and I still live hand to mouth – I also try to frame new experiences, some exercise – not too much, though – and some exciting projects.
You’ll discover one of these exciting projects tomorrow, but for today I want to share with you a quick recipe, suitable for a maniac Monday, just to start the week off right with some information for a conscious purchase of the right sustainable fish.
Anchovy and breadcrumb cake
We start the week with a cheap, sustainable, and good for your health fish: anchovies. I won’t tell you anything more and I’ll skip directly to the recipe, while you should go and read Emiko’s thoughtful post about sustainable fish and where to get the information to make a difference. It’s the same post that inspired this recipe, so go on and enjoy it!
Anchovy and breadcrumb cake - Tortino di alici
Ingredients
- 1 kg of anchovies, yet to be cleaned
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 70 g pine nuts
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- finely grated zest of 1 organic lemon
- a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- salt
Instructions
- Clean the anchovies and rinse them under running water.
- In a bowl mix the breadcrumbs with the chopped fresh parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt, a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and pine nuts.
- Arrange in a baking tin a layer of anchovies and a layer of breadcrumbs, until you finish all your ingredients. Top with some breadcrumbs and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Bake in preheated oven to 180°C for about 25 minutes, until the fish is cooked and golden on top.
- It's delicious just out of the oven, but even cold the next day!
Link love
- A slideshare of mouth-watering ideas on how to use anchovies: 12 Game-Changing Anchovy Recipes from Bon Appétit. My favourite so far? Mozzarella di Bufala with Anchovy and Celery-Herb Salad.
- On the healthy side, Spaghetti with Walnuts and Anchovies, from The New York Times, based on a Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s recipe.
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I’m so glad the pittea provided inspiration! I love the addition of pine nuts and lemon zest. And thanks for the shout out 🙂
What a wonderful way of preparing anchovies! This is a great summer dish. Perfect with a salad.
Cheers,
Rosa
This is such a lovely way to serve fish – so full of flavour and hardly a cake at all!
Yes, life is good when you do what you enjoy and love!
Speaking of love, I love this recipe. The title of your post will either draw people in or steer them away. Pity those that don’t like anchovies!
I’m so glad you found the place in the world that makes you happiest. The joy you have comes through in your website and certainly everything you do. You’re an inspiration.
I can identify with that Sunday-Monday feeling! I’m an anchovy lover and don’t ask me why, but it’s in summer time when the sun is out. I haven’t seen anything like your cake here. This is truly tempting indeed!
Interesting dish!
Oh I wish I could cook and learn and photograph all day, every day…
And also sit in the Tuscan sun!
This looks so delicious :). Yum!!