Big Night In with Anchovies from Roland Foods
Big Night In with Anchovies from Roland Foods
American Roland Food Corporation
July2012
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facebook.com/RolandFoods.PageContact: Corinne Fay
The Lisa Ekus Group
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lisaekus@lisaekus.com
-Domenica Marchetti, author of Big Night In
Anchovies are just one of those foods: you either wrinkle your nose and say, “no thank you,” or throw back your head in pleasure. The salty, briny little fish can either meld seamlessly into a sauce, lending just a touch of umami, as in the Insalata di Riso recipe from Big Night In below, or carry a whole dish, infusing everything with punchy flavor – think Caesar salad (below.)
If the pungent anchovy aroma doesn’t immediately make you swoon, it’s worth considering the quality of the anchovies you’re using and how you serve them. High quality anchovies, like those from American Roland Food Corporation, have a more subtle flavor, a sweet meatiness that goes far beyond the intense fishy flavor they’re known for. Try them minced in a salad dressing or cooked down in a sauce. Anchovies break down almost completely when cooked, leaving behind just a trace of savory flavor.
Roland Foods has a variety of Anchovy products, from flat fillets in olive oil to silverskin anchovies with garlic and parsley, to rolled anchovies with capers, anchovies packed in salt, and anchovy paste.
Roland® anchovies are a great choice because of:
QUALITY: Using the best quality anchovies you can find will help you appreciate their flavor and versatility. Anchovies are a cold-water species of fish, and attain their peak flavor when the water is cold, before the breeding season begins. As soon as the fish are caught they are rushed to the processing plant. Here they will be soaked and cleaned in cold salty water, and then hand-packed in salt for curing. One of the keys to the quality of Roland® anchovies is that they are handled with care every step of the way, from the catching to the curing to being hand-packed in tins or jars.
SUSTAINABILITY: Anchovies reproduce quickly and are considered to be resilient and resistant to overfishing. Being smaller fish, anchovies are also lower on the food chain and 
therefore a better choice for sustainability because they require less energy to produce.
HEALTH: Their status as low on the food chain also means they accumulate less mercury than carnivorous fish like Tuna, making anchovies a healthy fish option for everyone. They are high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids which play a crucial role in brain function and have been linked to reduced risk of heart disease.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
For the croutons:
2 cups cubed Italian country bread (1/2-inch cubes)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 large garlic clove, pressed
4 Roland® anchovies or other imported Italian anchovy fillets in olive oil, coarsely chopped, plus a tablespoon of oil from the anchovies
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (not mayonnaise-based salad dressing or sandwich spread)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
2 large heads red romaine lettuce or 3 large hearts of romaine, washed and torn into large pieces
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 or 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper
To make the croutons:
Heat the oven to 400ºF.
Spread the bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over them. Toss well with a wooden spoon or a spatula. Sprinkle on a little salt and a few grinds of pepper, toss again, and spread into a single layer.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and toast the croutons, stirring them once at the midpoint, for 15 minutes, or until they are evenly browned and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
To make the dressing:
In a medium bowl, stir together the salt and garlic clove to form a paste. Add the anchovies and their oil, the mustard, and the mayonnaise, and whisk to combine. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking all the while, until you have added it all and the mixture is thick and emulsified.
To assemble the salad:
Place the lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Pour the olive-oil dressing over the lettuce leaves and toss well to combine. Pour the lemon juice over the leaves and toss again. Add the Worcestershire sauce, the cheese, and a generous grinding of pepper and toss again. Transfer the salad to a large salad bowl or decorative serving bowl and top with the croutons. Serve immediately.
Do Ahead: The croutons may be made up to 3 days in advance and kept at room temperature in a tightly lidded container or a zipper-lock storage bag. The lettuce may be cleaned and kept in a large zipper-lock bag in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the salad. Don’t tear the leaves until just before assembling, to prevent any browning of the edges. The ingredients for the dressing may be mixed together up to 2 hours in advance and kept, tightly covered, at room temperature. Whisk before pouring over the salad.
Insalata di Riso
Of the many recipes in this book, this appetizing salad may be my favorite. It is based on a dish that my Zia Gilda, my mother’s eldest sister, used to make every summer for my sister and me. If we were lucky, she might have a bowl of it waiting for us when we arrived from the airport to the apartment in Rome that she shared with my mother’s other two sisters, Adriana and Elsa. Gilda was a person who loved fine things, like Bruno Magli shoes and Luisa Spagnoli dresses. But she was also modest, and the styles she chose were simple. It was the same with her cooking: the food she prepared was always simple, unadorned home fare. But she went to the open-air market in the piazza near her house every day to find the freshest ingredients, and whatever she made was always delicious. Gilda passed away some years ago, never having written down her recipes, but with my sister’s help I have recreated her rice salad here to the best of my memory. I think she would have approved. I like to serve this as a refreshing alternative to potato salad at a backyard cookout, or as the main course at a casual summer luncheon.
Serves 5 to 6 as a main course and 10 to 12 as a side dish
1 1/2 cups Arborio, Carnaroli, or other short-grain risotto rice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces best-quality canned or jarred tuna in olive oil, drained
3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise or sliced crosswise
2 Roland® anchovies or other imported Italian anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and chopped
1 cup diced jarred giardiniera
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup pickled cocktail (pearl) onions, drained, and halved if they are any larger than a marble
1/3 cup diced jarred roasted red bell peppers or a combination of roasted red and yellow bell peppers if you can find them at your supermarket or gourmet food store
1/4 cup green olives, such as Picholine
1/4 cup purple olives, such as Gaeta or kalamata
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon capers, preferably in salt, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise (not mayonnaise-based salad dressing or sandwich spread)
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour in the rice. When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the rice at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, or until it is al dente (tender but still a little firm and not at all mushy). Drain the rice in a colander in the sink and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process and to cool it. Drain thoroughly and transfer the rice to a large bowl. Toss the rice with the olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients except for the lemon juice, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper, and gently fold everything together. Stir in the lemon juice and mayonnaise and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the rice salad into a decorative serving bowl, cover, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Just before serving, toss the salad again and bring it to the table with a large serving spoon to allow your guests to serve themselves.
Do Ahead: My sister and I agree that this salad is at its absolute best when made up to 1 hour in advance so that the rice has time to absorb the flavors but is still just the slightest bit warm. However, the ingredients may be chopped and prepared ahead of time and set aside or refrigerated until you are ready to use them. Bring them to room temperature before mixing them into the rice.
