ANCHOVIES

There are certain ingredients that all food writers get into trouble over. They’re ones that betray their passions and they use constantly – even where other cooks wouldn’t – and they’re often ones that not everyone likes. Mine are dill (I’m amazed by how little love there is for those fresh, aniseed-flavoured fronds), feta, capers and cured anchovies. Occasionally, the editors of every magazine for which I write ban me from using these, because I reach for them on a daily basis. Apart from the dill, they’re all salty, and that’s my thing. I love finding little sparks of saltiness among sweet things – not necessarily sugar-sweet, but the sweetness of prawns or melting beef – or the gentle umami saltiness that’s infused a whole dish. Anchovies melt and are transformed with heat, which is why you can use them to stuff a leg of