Crudités and Provençale anchoïade sauce
Anchoïade is a delicious dip made from anchovies, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Starting your meal with crudités might seem a bit old hat but, done properly, I think it is the height of sophistication. Feel free to vary the vegetables according to what is nicest and in season.
'Here's a feast with a Southern French slant to celebrate the end of spring and beginning of summer,' says chef Alex Jackson of Leila's Shop in Shoreditch, E2. It starts with carefully chosen crudités with a punchy anchovy dip, then a simple asparagus tart with seasoned ricotta and Parmesan. Next, a grand aïoli is the most convivial of dishes, centred round a sauce fiery with garlic and heady with olive oil. The main feature is a whole roast John Dory, jumbled with clams, courgettes, more garlic and sweet basil, along with white wine, shellfish and olive oil to create ambrosial roasting juices. To finish, there is a set cream with poached cherries, their crimson liquor spiked with pastis.'
Crudités and anchoïade recipe
Recipe information
Yield
6
Ingredients
For the anchoïade
For the crudités
Preparation
Step 1
Put the anchovies, garlic and thyme in a food processor and start whizzing. Pour in the lemon juice and then add the olive oil, bit by bit, as if making mayonnaise. From time to time, add Itsp water to stop the mixture getting too thick and scrape down the sides to make sure all the anchovies are blended.
Step 2
When all the olive oil is used up, pour in the red wine vinegar and check the seasoning; you can add more vinegar if you want it sharper. If the mixture threatens to split, you can add a few drops of boiling water and it should bring the emulsion back. Scrape the anchoïade into a bowl and set on a big plate.
Step 3
Wash and slice all of the prepared vegetables into bite-sized pieces. To serve, arrange the crudités on the plate around the bowl of anchoïade and drizzle them with some olive oil. Grind some fresh black pepper over the anchoïade.
