Mme. Ricard's Titillating French Anchoïade

This has been posted in response to a personal request; it is taken from Alan Davidson's excellent book about Mediterranean Seafood, and is a local recipe from Aix-en-Provence, made by Mme Ricard! The serving suggestion for this Anchoïade, is rather romantic and very French - it should be served it says, surrounded by a profusion of local black olives, "en couronne d'un velours sombre et chatoyant"..... in a crown of titillating dark velvet! How wonderful, how very French! A superb recipe which is wonderful served on bread rolls, as suggested here!

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 12 Bridge Rolls

Ingredients

• 12  canned anchovy fillets
• 12  salted anchovies
• 12  fresh  almonds, peeled
• 3  dried figs, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves
• 1  small  mild  red pepper, seeded
• 4  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  small onion
• 2  ounces  fines herbes
• 1  stalk fennel
• 1⁄2  lemon, juice of
• 2  teaspoons orange flower water
• 1  dozen  small bridge  roll
•  black olives, for the couronne (crown)

Directions

1. Chop the herbs, garlic, onion, and fennel very finely.
2. Combine with the chopped figs.
3. Pound together the red pepper, almonds, tinned and salted anchovies with 3 tablespoons olive oil, until it makes a thick puree.
4. Combine the first mixture with the second mixture, adding the lemon juice and orange water bit by bit.
5. Cut the rolls in half - and use the remaining olive oil to moisten the bottom halves.
6. Put the halves together and place them in a pre-heated hot oven for 5 minutes.
7. When you serve the Anchoïade, you are expected to to surround it with a profusion of fine black olives -- "en couronne d'un velours sombre et chatoyant" -- in a crown of titillating dark velvet!