Recipe: Salt: Caramelised shallot tomato paste with anchovies

For each month of the spring term, I will introduce a primary ingredient and illustrate its capabilities through a key dish. For July, the ingredient of the month is… salt! Yes, salt. This mundane seasoning ties every dish together with just a pinch! In any food, it heightens umami compounds like glutamate to enrich flavours. Additionally, salt acts as a preservative by drawing out moisture to prevent microbial growth. In other words, salt may feel like an everyday seasoning, but it has been used for centuries as the basis of cooking.

For this month, a caramelised shallot tomato paste with anchovies is the perfect condiment to illustrate the characteristics of salt. The saltiness of the anchovies enhances the sweetness of the tomatoes and richness of the caramelised shallots, with a hint of spice to balance the fattiness of the anchovies. I hope you enjoy this recipe and learn a bit about how salt performs!

Tools: 

An airtight container or jar 

Cooking pan 

Ingredients:

5-6 large whole shallots, peeled and thinly sliced 

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated 

156 ml of tomato paste (Note: typically, both tube and cans of tomato paste comes in 156ml, you should not exceed this amount)

7-10 fillets of anchovies; adjust to saltiness preference (Note: typically, a whole tin equates to about 50ml, yielding about 6-7 fillets; if you exceed this amount, it will not affect the outcome of the dish) 

1 tbsp of dried chilli pepper flakes 

1 tsp of brown sugar 

1 tsp of dried basil 

1 tsp of dried oregano 

3-4 tbsp of cooking oil of your choice 

Instructions: 

1. In a pan heated with oil, cook the shallots at medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the shallots have softened and are golden brown. 
2. Add the dried chilli flakes and anchovies to the shallots and continue cooking for about 2 minutes. You do not need to chop the anchovies before adding them to the pan as they will melt on their own. 
3. Combine the tomato paste and cook for another 4 minutes at medium-low heat or until the paste has slightly darkened in shade. Once cooked, put aside to cool. 
4. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.