Thoïonade & Lou Saussoun

As time's gone by I've become a lot less formal about the way I serve meals and I use more and more little savoury spreads, dips and sauces. They can be prepared in advance and put on the table in various combinations for people to share. There are plenty of recipes of that kind around, but these two Provençal classics don't seem to turn up very often these days. So here are my versions. They're really easy to make, there's no cooking involved and all you need is a blender. Admittedly, like so many of my recipes, they aren't quite authentic. (See if I care). 

I first came across these two tasty treats as dips for crudités (essentially, strips of raw veg) but I think they're even nicer spread on toast (or savoury biscuits or crackers, if you prefer). In fact, they're even more versatile: for instance, try using saussoun as a sauce for pasta or roasted veg or serve it alongside lamb or simply cooked fish.

At the risk of sounding excessively elegiac, I feel that I've not always adequately credited the people that inspired many of the recipes I've posted over the years. In this case, it was Mireille Johnston who first made me want to try out so many French classics such as these. Sadly, she left us far too soon. I'm not sure that any of her books are still in print, but if one crosses your path, then grab it. They're a true pleasure to have around. 

Thoïonade

220g jar (or tin) of tuna in olive oil (you'll need to use both the tuna and the oil)

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp pine nuts

1 tbsp capers

A few turns (or more, if you fancy) freshly-ground, black pepper

A pinch (or more, if you fancy) piment d'Esplette or chilli flakes

30g black olives, pitted and roughly chopped

A few leaves of parsley, roughly chopped

Put all the ingredients, except the olives and parsley, into a blender and blend until you have a smooth paste. You may find that the mixture is a little too thick, and, if so, add a little water.

Add the olives and blend briefly to ensure that they're broken up and spread through the mixture without disappearing altogether. Transfer to your chosen serving dish and sprinkle over the parsley just before eating.

Keep in the fridge until needed. It's best eaten the day you make it, but it will freeze.

Lou Saussoun

1 fennel bulb

3 tbsp olive oil

40g almonds, roughly chopped

6 anchovy fillets (or, at a pinch, some anchovy paste)

3 tbsp crème fraîche

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tbsp chopped mint leaves

1 tbsp chopped basil leaves

Pinch of chilli flakes

Remove and discard any damaged or questionable pieces from the fennel but retain any fronds. Roughly chop the fennel and add to a blender, together with the fronds. Add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth, or as smooth as you prefer (a little texture isn't the worst thing in the world). Add a little water if the mixture is too thick. 

This is best eaten the day you make it, although it should be OK the following day. Either way, keep in the fridge until needed.