Anchovy

Offer thinly sliced serrano ham or prosciutto and bowls of stuffed olives and toasted almonds along with the beans.

Any leftover sauce from this recipe would be delicious served with boiled new potatoes or crudités. The sauce keeps 4 days, chilled and covered. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

White corn, cilantro and jalapeño chili give the classic Caesar a Texas accent.

The following recipe can also be made with 1-inch-thick salmon fillets. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Crostini di Fegatini) Crostini means "little crusts," and in Tuscany, almost every meal begins with a platter of toasted bread slices topped with chopped tomatoes, olive paste or this all-time favorite spread made with chicken livers. Use thin slices of an Italian or French country-style loaf, and serve these crostini with the chicken liver spread on top, or just present the pâté in a pretty bowl surrounded by the toasted baguette slices. Salami and prosciutto would be delicious accompaniments.

This is inspired by the dip served at Ca'Brea in Los Angeles. Try it with sliced boiled potatoes, crostini or vegetables.

Porcini mushrooms smooth out the intense flavors of this traditional sauce of tomatoes, olives, anchovies and capers. Although puttanesca sauce is typically served with penne or spaghetti, fusilli holds the sauce better.

This is quick, easy and delicious - the perfect addition to a holiday buffet.

This gorgeous dish is similar to ratatouille.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Mint and capers grow everywhere on Sicily, and anchovies are always available. Here they enhance another island crop: artichokes.

For dinner in a matter of minutes, try this Mediterranean-flavored main course.

This salad was inspired by a classic Salade Niçoise with its fresh anchovies, potatoes and green beans, and one offered to me by Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse, who comes to France every year to avail herself of, among other things, the fine green beans of summer.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

We're partial to just about any kind of roasted potatoes, but this recipe made a particularly big impression on us. The anchovies and lemon give the potatoes a genuinely distinctive flavor. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min