Anchovies on Toast

Anchovies, anchovies, you’re so delicious, 

I love you more than all the other fishes.

The line maybe from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ but there is no denying that I am absolutely craving anchovies.  In my quest for creating healthy eats and also cold appetizers, I discovered a way to turn a can of anchovies into a quick snack. The best thing about anchovies is that they are absolutely rich in flavours and hence eating them straight out of the can is equally satisfying. I avoid fish during the rainy season and during this time the canned fillets are by far the best option for a sandwich. It comes dipped in the olive oil which I preserve for making the sandwich spread and some for the drizzle. I am using multi-grain sandwich bread to up the nutrition quotient. For the spread, I have simply combined grated cheddar, some fresh cream, garlic cloves, salt and pepper and it comes out as a perfect spread. Use it as a spread or savour it as a dip. The bread is lightly toasted on either side, topped with the spread first, a layer of fresh basil, tomato slices, anchovies and a sprinkling of crushed boiled eggs and some green pitted olives. I finish it with a drizzle of olive oil. Have it as an open toast or a full sandwich. Its yum! This is the first sandwich recipe on the site and I hope to add many more!

Ingredients:

(For one large sandwich)

For the spread:

25 grams or 4-5 tbsp of cheddar cheese grated

½ cup fresh cream

5-6 cloves of garlic

2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sandwich:

2 slices of whole wheat multigrain sandwich bread

Butter for toasting

Cheese spread (recipe above)

Few basil leaves

½ small size tomato thinly sliced

50 gms John West anchovies fillets in olive oil

1 boiled egg – crushed

1-2 pitted green olives – quartered

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients mentioned for the spread in a mixer and set it aside.
2. Lightly toast the bread slices on each side adding a little butter.
3. Apply the prepared cheese spread over the bread, place the basil leaves, arrange the tomato slices and top it with the anchovies.
4. Sprinkle the crushed boiled eggs and the quartered olives. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil to finish.