Preheat oven to 375F.
3 3-ounce or 2 4 ounce hero loaves of Italian bread
1 8 ounce ball of mozzarella
1/4 cup butter, melted
Anchovy sauce:
8 flat anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup butter
Trim crusts and ends from bread; cut small loaves in half crosswise, larger ones into thirds. You should have six pieces that look like stubby sticks of butter -- about one and a half inches high and wide and about two and a half inches long. Starting at one end of each piece, cut four slits one half inch apart; cut just to about one-quarter inch of the bottom so that the slices will stay together and form a kind of fan. Cut the ball of mozzarella into thirds, then cut each third in half. Cut each piece of cheese into 4 slices one-quarter inch thick and about an inch square. Fit cheese slices into the slits in each stick of bread as neatly as possible. Gently thread bread and cheese on skewers. Holding the skewers upright, brush the bread with butter. Arrange the skewers on a foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for five minutes, or until the cheese melts. To serve, slide the toast and cheese off the skewers onto small plates and pour anchovy sauce over them.
Anchovy sauce:
Mash the anchovy fillets with a fork to make a paste. Put the garlic through a press and mix it into the anchovies. Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the anchovy and garlic mixture and stir until smooth, well blended and hot.
3 3-ounce or 2 4 ounce hero loaves of Italian bread
1 8 ounce ball of mozzarella
1/4 cup butter, melted
Anchovy sauce:
8 flat anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup butter
Trim crusts and ends from bread; cut small loaves in half crosswise, larger ones into thirds. You should have six pieces that look like stubby sticks of butter -- about one and a half inches high and wide and about two and a half inches long. Starting at one end of each piece, cut four slits one half inch apart; cut just to about one-quarter inch of the bottom so that the slices will stay together and form a kind of fan. Cut the ball of mozzarella into thirds, then cut each third in half. Cut each piece of cheese into 4 slices one-quarter inch thick and about an inch square. Fit cheese slices into the slits in each stick of bread as neatly as possible. Gently thread bread and cheese on skewers. Holding the skewers upright, brush the bread with butter. Arrange the skewers on a foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for five minutes, or until the cheese melts. To serve, slide the toast and cheese off the skewers onto small plates and pour anchovy sauce over them.
Anchovy sauce:
Mash the anchovy fillets with a fork to make a paste. Put the garlic through a press and mix it into the anchovies. Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the anchovy and garlic mixture and stir until smooth, well blended and hot.
