Recipe: Anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet

From MoVida Rustica.

This signature MoVida dish was inspired by the great food of Basque Bar culture. Anchovies are big business on the northern coastline of Spain and this recipe combines their saltiness with a hit of tangy, smoky tomato. Admittedly some of the ingredients may be hard to get – but I promised to publish the recipe!

makes 12 tapas

• ¼ loaf of two-day-old heavy sourdough bread
• 30 ml (1 fl z) fruity extra virgin olive oil (i.e. Arbequina r Hojiblanca, plus extra to drizzle)
• 250 g (9 oz) smoked tomatoes
• 75 g (2 ½ oz) glucose syrup, approximately
• 12 tinned anchovies (i.e. Cuca)
• 3 teaspoons Lilliput (tiny Spanish) capers
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• sea salt flakes

1.Preheat oven to 180 °C (350°F/Gas 4).

2. Using a very sharp bread knife, trim the crusts off the bread, then cut into a block 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide and 10 cm (4 inches) long. Cut the bread into the finest slices you can – around 1 mm. This will make far too many, so choose the 12 best slices and place them flat on a baking tray, brush generously with the olive oil and season to taste. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

3. Puree the smoked tomatoes in a blender until completely smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and measure how much liquid you have. Add this back to the blender with exactly half the amount in glucose syrup, then process until smooth.

4. Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then freeze for 3-4 hours.

5. Next, place an anchovy on each crouton. Using two teaspoons, shape a little of the frozen tomato sorbet into quenelles (or small oval dumplings), place one on top of each anchovy and sprinkle with the capers. Drizzle with a little more oil, sprinkle with the parsley and some sea salt flakes.

Serve immediately.