The Secret Ingredient: Anchovies

When it comes to most Secret Ingredients, I can count on public support. I mean, there's nothing very controversial about loving limes. There are a few cherished foods, however, that leave me stranded on my lonely limb.

The most glaring of these has got to be anchovies. I adore anchovies. When someone in a movie or TV show wrinkles their nose in disgust when anchovy pizza is mentioned, I want to throw something at the screen. When you have a salt tooth instead of a sweet tooth, nothing could be better than the salty surge of this amazingly adaptive fish.

It's good in stir-fry. It gives a tang to vegetable dishes. It's a must for Caesar salads. I can toss it into sauce or pasta or rice or eggs or toast or a million other things, and it never fails to make me happy. Anchovies may not be the most popular kid on the block, but to me, they're damn near perfect.