Anchovy

Roasting the garlic for the dressing sweetens it and softens its pungency. By the way, our interpretation of this salad did omit one traditional element—there is no raw egg in it, in keeping with modern health concerns.

A country-style Italian bread and a hearty salad of romaine with roasted peppers and black olives would be great with this pasta dish. Pears with walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese would be a nice dessert.

On the island of Corsica, whole fish is simply baked or grilled for maximum flavor. Local cooks often use mountain trout, sea bream, grouper or mullet, but you can use sea trout, lingcod or sea bass with good results.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. French fries and purchased ratatouille are perfect with the steaks, and almond cake with fruit compote completes the menu.

(SALADE DE LEGUMES AU FROMAGE DE CHEVRE) This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A piquant relish that is also a great sauce for pasta. To serve two people, simply double the sauce and toss it with eight ounces of freshly cooked pasta.

Serve this sauce with roasted meat, fish, or chicken. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Classic French tapenade is a spread of black olives, capers and anchovies, among other ingredients. This version has green olives instead of black.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This one is delicious made with shrimp and/or scallops, too. If using lobster, garnish the plates with the empty shells.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This is traditionally served with sliced cold veal, but we also like it with turkey or as a dip for vegetables.

The test kitchen used wonton wrappers instead of homemade pasta to simplify this.

Pissaladière is a classic dish in Provence. Its thin pizza-like crust is piled high with caramelized onions, then topped with anchovies, olives, and fresh herbs.

(Provençal Anchovy Vegetable Spread) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In doubling or tripling this recipe, you can put all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender (cutting the amount of garlic in half) for a quick whirl. Store the dressing in a screw-cap jar until the salad is ready to be tossed. The flavor is the same, but the texture of the dressing is creamy and looks less attractive on the romaine.

What to drink: Offer a Pinot Grigio with these toasts.