Become a Special dish Contributor, Thanks to Lorea Gourmet

We love Lorea Gourmet Anchovies and now we want to hear your best ideas for how to use them - anything from sauces to salads, pizzas or perhaps you love them on toast - for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of dish. 

The dish team are fanatical about anchovies - we love the taste and versatility of these little beauties!  

If you don’t have anchovies often though, you might be wondering what’s the best way to use them? Coming from us, we like to add them to sauteed vegetables when making a meat Bolognese sauce to give it that extra depth of flavour. They’re perfect for making classic potato gratin, too, heat up some cream and garlic, chop up a few anchovies and pour over your sliced potatoes.  

Anchovies go great with Italian staples as well. Top your pizza with them or make a quick yoghurt flatbread, topped with a thin layer of caramelised onions, anchovies and pitted black olives before baking. Pasta lovers will enjoy a touch of warm olive oil, chilli flakes, capers and chopped anchovies in a pan tossed through spaghetti. But if you're after something with a bit of crunchiness, you might also want to try heating some olive oil in a pan and then frying up some chopped anchovies, fresh breadcrumbs, garlic and chilli flakes until golden and crunchy. Toss through your cooked pasta and top with a poached egg to finish. Yum! 

By far and away the best thing we have ever tried though is our Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy Cream. We can’t even begin to describe how amazing this is, which is why we want you to try it for yourself. Check out the recipe below.  

You’ve seen how we use anchovies and now we’d love to know your ideas. Maybe it’s something as simple as having them on toast or an age-old family recipe. Send your ideas in and we’ll select one to be re-created in the next issue of dish to share with the rest of New Zealand! 

To enter, simply e-mail your suggestions to [email protected] and feel free to share any photos with us. 

If you ask us which anchovies are our favourites, we’re not shy in admitting that Lorea Gourmet Anchovies are our go-to. They get theirs from the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, which is renowned for having the best anchovies in the world. And after 150 years of being in business, we reckon they know a thing or two about selecting quality fish.  

Presented in olive oil, Lorea Gourmet Anchovies make for the perfect complement to all kinds of sauces, tapenades, Caesar salads and can even be used in pasta or pizza. 

Lorea Gourmet Anchovies are available in selected supermarkets nationwide! 

www.loreagourmet.com 

Facebook: @LoreaAnchoviesNZ 

Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy Cream

INGREDIENTS
1.5-kilogram leg of lamb
6 Lorea anchovies, halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
2 long sprigs rosemary
2 teaspoons oil from the jar of anchovies
sea salt and ground pepper
2 onions, cut into wedges
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160 C. Make 12 incisions in the top fat-side of the lamb using a sharp knife, then pack each cut with an anchovy half, sliced garlic and rosemary. Brush with the anchovy oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the onions, bay leaves and wine in a roasting dish and place the lamb on top.

Cover with foil and roast for 3 hours. Remove the foil and roast for a further 1 hour until the meat is very tender when pierced with a skewer. Rest lightly covered for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the Anchovy Cream.

SERVES 6-8

Anchovy Cream

INGREDIENTS
1½ cups cream
6 Lorea anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon butter, diced, chilled
ground pepper

METHOD
Place the cream, anchovies and garlic in a medium saucepan. Simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring often until thick and reduced by half, about 15-20 minutes.

Take off the heat and, using an immersion blender, gradually blend in the butter to make a thick, creamy sauce. Season generously with black pepper. If making ahead, warm over a low heat until smooth but don’t let it boil.

MAKES ABOUT ¾ CUPS