Day 2: braving anchovies

This little champ of a pasta dish can take the crown and glory for inspiring me to pursue my 365-day Nigella cookalong. If you have issues with anchovies, the following reflections are not intended to put you off, but instead offer reassurance - that quite literally - things will be alright on the night.

I’ve, almost, successfully managed to avoid anchovies for my 34 years of existence, barring a small hiccup at a riverside café in Melbourne when I was on a work trip a few years back. Now, you may wonder why I take pride in that, but I’ll touch again on this shortly. Anyway, back to my point - this dish! Everything from the way it looks in the At My Table cookbook, and the ingredients listed, to watching Nigella tuck-in to a freshly made bowl on the accompanying TV show, had us urging to try this way of pasta. My one issue. Anchovies. I had them once served to me in a salad, and I shamefully and apologetically had to return it - uneaten. The smell alone and the anchovy oils that now macerated the salad leaves were just too much for a sensitive soul like me to handle. I felt as if the smell lingered in my nostrils for a good few hours following. Needless to say, going forward from that moment in time, I had little enthusiasm to give them another shot.

Nigella’s Gemelli with Anchovies, Tomatoes and Mascarpone

Then, along comes Nigella’s Gemelli with Anchovies, Tomatoes and Mascarpone. As suggested above, in case you had any doubt, we were already sold. My idea was to omit the anchovies, and maybe double the parmesan to account for extra saltiness. It was only when buying the ingredients that I decided to take the plunge, not only into a completely new flavour profile, but also into a world where I don’t just consider trying anchovies - I buy and cook with them too. So, now begins the journey into braving anchovies.

Opening the jar. The smell already had me involuntarily shuddering. So, I bucked up my posture, took a breath and pursued. Here, we have the epitome of maximum pleasure for minimum effort. It delivered an unknown flavour profile to me. Rich and creamy, sharp and tangy, salty and savoury; everything divine and all available in one bowl in about 20 minutes. Today actually marks my second time making this pasta - although here I’ve used a photo from round one as the light was better - and we both even noted on the overwhelming wave of comfort that washed over us as the intensely unique aromas soared through the house. When I first made this, I scrimped on the anchovies to ease myself in, today - I made no sacrifices. The only change I made, on both occasions, was to use chipotle flakes instead of regular chili flakes. Chipotles offer a delicate smokiness that harmonises and plays well, I think, with most flavours - particularly fish, as well as dairy and tomatoes.

Flavour musings

To continue from where I side-tracked earlier. There is certainly an element of stubbornness when it comes to trying new things, and I think perhaps we take a sense of pride each time we manage to successfully avoid having to do so - especially when it’s something that turns our stomachs. Maybe it’s self-satisfaction knowing our stubbornness remains unscathed. But, what I do know, is that I will call upon this experience as reassurance that great things can come from those that we might dread. I’m not saying I’m going to dive right in and eat anchovies straight from the jar - but this is a step, very much, in the right direction.

So far, this journey is doing exactly what I wanted.