Last Thanksgiving, after much reply-all-ing — and many quality hours spent with Sam Sifton’s manuscript forĀ Thanksgiving, How to Cook it Well — the menu my mom, dad, sister, brother, Andy, and I came up with for the big feast was the following:
Mom’s Classic Herb-Roasted Turkey
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots
Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Stuffing Ā (fromĀ Thanksgiving, by Sam Sifton)
Roasted Cauliflower with Anchovy Breadcrumbs (ibid)
Butternut Squash with Sage Butter (ibid)
Mashed Potatoes (ibid)
Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans and Mandarin Oranges
Chocolate Pudding Pie with Whipped Cream
Hominy Grill’s Buttermilk Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Maple-Bourbon Pecan PieĀ
As usual, my brother would bring the snacks — some goodies from Zabar’s — and my father would be in charge of theĀ wine. Ā I emailed the finalized line-up to everyone for official sign-off.Ā Except I left out one very important word in the cauliflower dish.
I left out the word “anchovy.”
Why? I find there are two kinds of people in this world: People who understand the kind of umami blast an anchovy imparts to a dish, and people who see the word “anchovy” and think only of greasy, smelly, peel-back tins of castor-oil fishiness. (Put it this way: It’s the kind of ingredient my mother might call… interesting.) I sat squarely in camp two until about a decade ago when my friend and coworker Pilar pitched a three-page story to our editor about how anchovies are the secret to making everything taste better. (The response: “I think we better write the garlic story first.”)
In any event, I was happy to have Sifton validate my covert anchovy operation in the headnote of the cauliflower recipe.Ā This is what he wrote:
“It is important to note that this dish does not have an anchovy flavor. Indeed, there is no reason ever to tell anyone who eats this dish that there are anchovies in it. The taste is merely salty and rich ā and reflects beautifully off the sweet, creamy taste of the cauliflower beneath its slightly crunchy breadcrumb topping.”
To which I will add that the dish was a true showstopper…amidst a bounty of showstoppers. After one forkful I decided this was the recipe that was most deserving of side dish stomach real estate. My brother-in-law Nick — some day we will write about his great, if bizarre, love of cauliflower — looked up mid-bite and asked “What is in this?” (We didn’t answer.) At least four-sixths of the under-10 set around the table had a helping without a complaint. Yes, this one was destined to be a keeper. The only downside of no one being turned off by the anchovies was that no one was turned off by the anchovies…so I couldn’t go back for seconds.
Roasted Cauliflower with Breadcrumbs that May or May Not Contain Anchovies
FromĀ Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well, by Sam Sifton
2 heads cauliflower
8 to 10 freshĀ sage leaves, roughly chopped
Zest of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
For the anchovy breadcrumbs:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1. Preheat oven to 400Ā°F. Break cauliflower into florets and toss in a bowl with sage, lemon zest, sugar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread out on a large baking sheet. Place in oven and cook until tender and golden, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a saute pan set over medium heat. When oil shimmers add the anchovies, garlic, shallot, and breadcrumbs. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until golden.
3. In a large bowl, toss together cauliflower and breadcrumbs and serve on a warmed platter.
No room in my oven for this on Thanksgiving, so I made it tonight. It was delicious (and the first time I’ve ever knowingly eaten anchovies)!
Gave anchovies a chance while in Spain this fall – who knew? I loved them! I’m going to try to get this on the menu for Thanksgiving!
Looks fantastic – two of my favorite things! My favorite anchovy recipe is grilled shrimp with anchovy butter from the first volume of the Canal House Cooking series. (You can find an adapted version of the recipe online if you google it.) It is amazing, and takes about 4 minutes.
I am so making this for Thanksgiving! I wish it could be made ahead, but something tells me those breadcrumbs need to be freshly done. Everyone in my family (but me) thinks anchovies are “interesting,” and most everyone hangs out in the kitchen while the meal is being made, so I can’t imagine keeping such an “interesting” ingredient secret, but I’ll try! Wish me luck!!
What exactly are “fresh” bread crumbs? I have two thanksgiving recipes that call for this and I’m never sure what they are or how to make them. Will regular old store bought breadcrumbs suffice?
HeatherP – Yes, you can definitely use regular breadcrumbs, but it’s super easy to make fresh ones. I usually take day-old bread (or even fresh works) and just give it a whirl in the food processor. Pretty much any bread works. Except I wouldn’t go with sourdough or whole grain bread for this recipe. Keep it simple. Good luck.
I made this as my side dish contribution for Thanksgiving with the in-laws and it was a huge hit! My sister-in-law and her kids are super picky, so I added the anchovies surreptitiously while nobody was watching. They were none the wiser, and everyone loved this. Thanks!
Truly no matter if someone doesn’t understand afterward its up to other users that they will assist, so here it occurs.
Really appreciable writing……..
It so happens that anchovies are a similarly great addition to vinaigrette-style potato salad (that is, not the mayo kind). Shhh! I, too, dispense that information on a need-to-know basis.