My First Time…

For most of the foods that I eat, I cannot remember when I first had them. Anchovies, however, I do remember.

When I was a young teen, my family hosted a foreign exchange student for a month during the summer. It was a program for a group of teens from Europe to come over to experience some of the US, without having to commit to an entire year away. The student we received was Cyril. Cyril lived in the outskirts of Marseilles, on the French Riviera.

We enjoyed his visit and the next summer, he invited my brother and I to come stay with him. Our family took a trip into Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. After a week of traveling, my parents dropped my brother and I off at Cyril’s house and then they went exploring on their own.

The week was filled with many fun and interesting events and one evening we ended up at Cyril’s grandparents house. They had a nice place with a pool and an outdoor brick oven. The menu for that night has homemade pizza in the brick oven.

The first pizza came out and cut and served to us and looking down I saw little fishes on the pizza. Anchovies. I didn’t really eat much fish back then and certainly didn’t have a desire to each anchovies, but I was not only a guest, but representing my country. I raised the slice to my mouth and dug in. I was surprised that it seemed to work. While it never replaced pepperoni or sausage as my pizza meat of choice, I grew an appreciation for the little fish.

Savory Beef Roast

One of the key ingredients to making this so savory is anchovy paste.

That little tube packs so much flavor.

Searing all sides of the beef.

Making that delicious sauce.

Beautiful!

And tasty too!

Savory Beef Roast

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins | Servings: 16 servings (serving size: 3 ounces roast and 1 tablespoon gravy)

Ingredients:

1 (4-pound) lean boneless rump roast
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon beef-flavored bouillon granules
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt-free lemon pepper seasoning
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Trim fat from roast. Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add roast, and cook until browned on all sides.

2. Sprinkle roast with garlic powder and salt. Combine water, Worcestershire sauce, and bouillon granules, stirring well. Pour Worcestershire sauce mixture over roast. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until roast is tender. Transfer roast to a serving platter; set aside, and keep warm.

3. Skim fat from juices in pan; reserve 1/4 cup pan juices. Discard remaining juices. Return 1/4 cup juices to pan.

4. Combine flour and seasoning; add to juices in pan, stirring until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Combine yogurt, mustard, and anchovy paste; add to milk mixture, stirring just until blended.

5. Cut roast diagonally across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Top with gravy, and sprinkle with parsley and cheese.

carbo rating: 2

Source: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001733432