last lick, yum lick

 

i’m not a big fan of rich creamy food but when i heard a friend raving about his mum’s “last lick sauce”, describing it as the perfect accompaniment to roast chicken and a fabulous gravy replacement in the summer, i had to give it a try.

garlic, rosemary, anchovies and sundried tomatoes. plus cream for richness. definitely worth a go.

the sauce has a fabulous depth of savoury flavour but it is very rich. i tried versions using crème fraiche (full and low fat) and sour cream. none of these was a patch on the original so, here it is, the original last lick sauce.

it is indeed a great accompaniment to roast chicken and is a very delicious way to ring the changes if your sunday roast is looking a little jaded. 

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roasted jerusalem artichokes with goat’s cheese, roasted tomatoes and agresto

 

i loved skye gyngell’s first recipe book and am now working my way through her second, finding many, many recipes which make my toes curl with pleasure.

my absolute favourite so far has been this roasted jerusalem artichokes with goat’s cheese, roasted tomatoes and agresto. as ever there are many layers of flavour – pungent garlic, the nutty sweetness of roasted artichokes, the tang of the tomatoes and wow, wow, wow, the magic that is agresto.

in skye’s words, “agresto is a soft, rounded pounded paste made with very fresh young creamy walnuts” but it also so much more. the walnuts (it’s too late in the year for wet walnuts but this was fine made with older fresh walnuts) are combined with anchovy, garlic, lemon, chilli, parsley and olive oil and result in a wonderfully fresh zingy paste with the base flavours of anchovy and nuts.

we ate this two days running and it is a serious contender for any festive meal which needs a starter. i am also really excited about trying the agresto in different forms. i love the idea of tossing it with pasta, perhaps replacing the anchovies with crumbled blue cheese.

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broccoli and anchovy orecchiette

 

so, here it is, the broccoli pasta which i have been eating on alternate days for the past week…

the original recipe, which was recommended by a friend, uses anchovies to provide the savoury depth which balances the flavours of the dish. i also tried a vegetarian version and used capers and sundried tomato pesto in place of the anchovies. both options work really well and are truly delicious.

this dish is my contribution to presto pasta nights which, this week, is being hosted by ruth at once upon a feast.

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