Tomato Anchovy Beef Patty

If you live in the area, you probably know that there was a water main break over the weekend. Then came the boil water order. It’s funny that temporarily being deprived of clean water can inconvenience someone so much. No washing dishes, no drinking water, be careful showering, no brushing teeth…the list goes on! Fortunately I haven’t gotten completely through my case of poland spring yet so it’s only slightly annoying.

On a side note, I was up in New Hampshire on Saturday making a meat run, as strange as that sounds. Jason from Bite the Bullet BBQ e-mailed me just a little while back with a deal I just couldn’t refuse. He had a Spring offer for 12 racks of ribs…I just couldn’t turn that down! And for good measure, I asked if he would be able to cook up some pulled pork too and he did (I ended up with 12 racks of ribs and 4 pork butts). I brought a friend up with me too…he was a little skeptical at first after Jason fed us with some fresh meat off the grill, he couldn’t stop talking about it on the way back. And of course, in a lack of foresight, I forgot my camera…doh!

Anyway, while experimenting with some of Marcella Hazan’s sauces, I figured I’d try out something else in addition. Anchovies never have been a big part of my diet but they’re used fairly often in Italian cooking, so I decided to give it a shot. Marcella suggests that one buy anchovies fresh from the market (read: not in a can or jar) but not having that available, I had to resort to the jarred stuff. Not that it was THAT bad mind you, I just wanted to see what the suggested anchovies would taste like!

Beef Patties baked with Anchovies and Mozzarella

Time: 30-40 minutes
Serves : 6

Ingredients:
– 1 slice white bread, crust removed
– 3 tbsp skim milk
– 1.5 – 2 lb ground beef (93%)
– 1 egg
– salt
– plain bread crumbs
– canola oil
– a little butter
– 28oz can whole tomatoes, drained
– 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
– Mozzarella cheese
– 12 flat anchovy fillets

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add the milk and bread to a small saucepan over low heat. Mash the bread to a pulp with the fork and remove from heat.
3. Combine the chopped meat with the milk mush, egg, and a sprinkle of salt. Mix well and then shape into 6 patties. Dredge the patties in bread crumbs.
4. Add a little bit of oil to a frying pan and cook the patties over medium high heat for about 2 minutes on either side, turning only once.
5. Slice each tomato in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice a small sliver from one of the pieces for garnish later.
6. Butter a baking dish and place the patties in the dish. Cover each patty with both halves of a tomato, sprinkle with a little salt and oregano, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese and finally place 2 anchovy fillets, criss-crossed, on top with the sliver of tomato placed in the center.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes and then serve directly at the table.

Note: I served this with Pasta Amatriciana. I’ll have a post about that soon =)