I have never been a fan of anchovies. Anchovies on pizza is just sacrilegious. The charter fishing boats that my father would take me out on when I was a kid, that went out to the Channel Islands off the coast of California, had big tanks of live anchovies to use as bait, so I learned to think of anchovies as fish bait.
Imagine my surprise, then, to discover the splendors of colatura di alici, which is nothing other than -- fermented anchovies. Made in Campania, Italy, it is a modern iteration of garum, prized throughout the ancient world, and the number one favorite condiment of the ancient Romans. It does not have a strong flavor or smell of its own, but it does bring out the flavors in other things.
Today I made a serving of macaroni and cheese from scratch, with "springs" (rotini pasta), butter, cheese, heavy cream and beef bone broth, and mixed in some colatura. Wow. It was smooth, creamy and very flavorful. No wonder my Roman ancestors consumed the stuff by the amphora-load.
So the humble anchovy is rehabilitated at Casa Anita, and has earned a place for itself in the pantry. Although I will still never put it on pizza.
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