A staple in Provence, anchoïade is nothing more than anchovies, garlic and olive oil worked together with a mortar and pestle into a purée. At Chez Panisse we added walnuts and ripe, earthy figs to create a bold, sweet and savory spread for toasted slices of rustic country bread or a condiment for grilled swordfish. If you stock your larder with our Fig and Fennel Pollen Jam, throwing together a batch of this incredible treat is super easy.

Fig jam is a wonderfully versatile pantry item to reach for throughout the year. The fact that it isn’t too sweet makes it a good condiment for savory dishes such as roast pork. It’s equally good to spread over your favorite whole-grain toast. Wild fennel pollen imparts the delicate flavor of anise, which complements the figs’ earthiness.

Homemade tomato conserva bears little similarity to commercially prepared tomato paste, even the imported stuff from Italy. It is the very essence of tomato in a super-concentrated form. Just one spoonful of conserva will make a minestrone soup taste like an Italian grandmother stepped into your kitchen. To rekindle a memory of Spain, spoon a thin layer on toasted garlic bread and drizzle it with olive oil for an astounding pan con tomate. You will need what might seem like a lot of tomatoes to make two small jars of this precious condiment. Paste tomatoes, such as Roma or plum types, will give you the thickest conserva, but any vine-ripened tomatoes will work.