While fish in general are said to congregate in SCHOOLS, anchovies, krill and certain other fish are said to form, SHOALS.
A study of collective nouns makes interesting reading all by itself. Knowing -- and loving -- anchovies, as I do used subtly -- and sparingly -- to add that touch of je ne said quoi to salads and certain sauces, I suggest that such a large gathering of these tiny-but-immensely-powerful sea creatures should be called a SALINATION of Anchovies, or maybe a CONVOCATION of THIRSTMAKERS ;-)
Allow me please to share my Aunt Antonietta's recipe for what-she-called Sicilian Salad. I assure you it's terrific.
SALAD
1 head Boston lettuce 2 small pr 1 large Belgian endive, cut in circles 2 mandarim oranges or clementines, peeled seeded, sectioned 10-15 oil-cured clack olives, pitted, split in two 1/2 can flat anchovy fillets in olive oil
DRESSING:
1.5 cups imported olive oil, Juice of 2 lemons, squeezed and strained 2 tsps Grey's Poupon Dijon mustard 1 tsp dried basil 2 or 3 mashed anchovy fillets Fresh ground pepper to taste
Whisk all ingrediens together in a jar, set aside
Assemble salad preferably in a large cut glass bowl placing orange sections, black olives and anchovy fillets attractively arranged in a wheel pattern on top. Chill.
Stir dressing again with whisk just before serving. Pour over salad. Present it to your guests, then toss gently before serving in individual cut glass bowls or other individual salad dishes if you don't have cur glass.
[NOTE: The dressing tastes best when made at least a day in advance.]
Your Aunt Antoinetta's salad reminds me of the salad my nonna and mother made to accompany lamb dishes. We called it orange salad, which was made by peeling, then slicing oranges into "wheels," arranging them on a platter, then placing thinkly sliced red onions and cured black olives over the "wheels." Then the salad was sprinkled with good olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper.
Next time I make the salad, I will follow your Zia Antoinette's recipe. It sounds delizioso!
How sad that a pleasant, interesting, informative, friendly blog should end on such a sour note, just because the blog owner seems to hate any mention of God's name in a positive context!
16 comments:
According to internet sources:
While fish in general are said to congregate in SCHOOLS, anchovies, krill and certain other fish are said to form, SHOALS.
A study of collective nouns makes interesting reading all by itself. Knowing -- and loving -- anchovies, as I do used subtly -- and sparingly -- to add that touch of je ne said quoi to salads and certain sauces, I suggest that such a large gathering of these tiny-but-immensely-powerful sea creatures should be called a SALINATION of Anchovies, or maybe a CONVOCATION of THIRSTMAKERS ;-)
Allow me please to share my Aunt Antonietta's recipe for what-she-called Sicilian Salad. I assure you it's terrific.
SALAD
1 head Boston lettuce
2 small pr 1 large Belgian endive, cut in circles
2 mandarim oranges or clementines, peeled seeded, sectioned
10-15 oil-cured clack olives, pitted, split in two
1/2 can flat anchovy fillets in olive oil
DRESSING:
1.5 cups imported olive oil,
Juice of 2 lemons, squeezed and strained
2 tsps Grey's Poupon Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried basil
2 or 3 mashed anchovy fillets
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Whisk all ingrediens together in a jar, set aside
Assemble salad preferably in a large cut glass bowl placing orange sections, black olives and anchovy fillets attractively arranged in a wheel pattern on top. Chill.
Stir dressing again with whisk just before serving. Pour over salad. Present it to your guests, then toss gently before serving in individual cut glass bowls or other individual salad dishes if you don't have cur glass.
[NOTE: The dressing tastes best when made at least a day in advance.]
Your Aunt Antoinetta's salad reminds me of the salad my nonna and mother made to accompany lamb dishes. We called it orange salad, which was made by peeling, then slicing oranges into "wheels," arranging them on a platter, then placing thinkly sliced red onions and cured black olives over the "wheels." Then the salad was sprinkled with good olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper.
Next time I make the salad, I will follow your Zia Antoinette's recipe. It sounds delizioso!
"...thinkly sliced red onions..."
Should read "...THINLY sliced red onions..."
Because Santarpio's in East Boston makes THE BEST anchovy pizza, I think a shoal of anchovies should be called a Santarpio of anchovies.
Heresy?
Very close, Ducky, but Santarpio's gets my vote for anchovy pizza. For every other pizza, I'm a Regina's fan, after all, we're neighbors.
Pushcart Pizza on Salem street is a good substitute when you don't want to go to East Boston or wait in line at Regina's.
The newbie on Hanover St., "Locale?" Meh.
Antico Forno, nice brick-oven chi-chi pizzas.
Franke DePasquale's "Quattro?" Meh. Not impressed.
Umberto's on Hanover takes the prize for their Sicilian pizza (they're closed for the month of July.)
And now Cafe Pompeii has cafe-front "street" food, arancini, calzone, panzarotti. I haven't tried their pizza yet.
Santarpio's and Regina's are world-class. But Santarpio's beat out Regina's in a recent poll on the country's best pizza joints.
Who knew?
Finally talking an issue this blog is good for recipes.
Really, Anonymous?
You seem not to be able to resist this blog. How would you know P.E. is good ONLY for recipes unless you visit it regularly?
P.S. Thank you for your devotion to reading my posts.
Mmmmmm anchovies.
ACK! trolls!
// "...thinkly sliced red onions..."//
just goes to show....you can lead an onion to tears, but you can't slice dem thoughts.
This should be called Sunday Nature Blog. Nature is all of God's creations.
"Nature is all of God's creations."
Here are some of those "creations:"
Measles
Tuberculosis
Malaria
Pertussis
Tetanus
HIV/Aids
All of which kill and maim hundreds of thousands of babies and children in Africa every year.
How sad that a pleasant, interesting, informative, friendly blog should end on such a sour note, just because the blog owner seems to hate any mention of God's name in a positive context!
Cole Slaughter
To Mr. Slaughter,
It is not sour to point out a fact. I fear it is you who wishes to ignore them.
If nature is all of God's creation, then all those things I listed are his as well.
There is nothing sour or disrespectful in pointing out a logical conclusion.
I have an idea! Let's talk about pizza!
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