ANCHOVY TWISTS

ANCHOVY TWISTS

The beauty of these as an ‘any time snack’ is that they can be refrigerated after rolling for up to 24 hours, and can be frozen for up to three months. Bake them straight from the fridge or the freezer – if frozen, add an additional five minutes cooking time. This recipe first appeared in our cookbook ‘Now for Something Sweet’ (Harper Collins, 2020) in the savoury chapter ‘A drink and a nut’ with thanks to my friend and great cook Judy Lowy and Marieke Brugman who know runs the amazing Art of Living.

Pastry

120 g (heaped 3⁄4 cup/4 1⁄4 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra

100 g (3 1/2 oz) cold, unsalted butter, chopped

60 g (1⁄4 cup/2 oz) sour cream

Plus

30 (about 160 g/6 oz) best-quality anchovies in oil, drained

To make the pastry, place the flour, butter and sour cream into the bowl of a food processor and process until it just forms a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6). Line a baking tray.

Divide the dough in 2. On a well-floured bench, roll out half of the pastry into a 40 x 25 cm (16 x 10 inch) rectangle. Lay it horizontally on the bench and cut in half crossways. Line up 15 of the anchovies, vertically, on one half side by side and equally spaced (about 1 cm/1⁄2 inch apart). Place the other half of the pastry on top of the anchovies and, with your fingers, press the pastry to seal between each one. Cut the pastry right through where you have sealed, between each anchovy, making 15 anchovy-enclosed rectangles.

Pick up 1 rectangle and twist each end in the opposite direction then press to seal at the ends. Place on the prepared tray and continue with the remaining anchovies. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden then allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 30