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1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the young borage leaves and blanch for 2–3 minutes. The leaves are ready when softened and yielding but not collapsing. Drain, spread on a clean surface to cool, then squeeze firmly in both hands to expel all water.
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2
Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic and the anchovy fillets. Stir and press the anchovies against the pan until they dissolve entirely into the oil and the garlic is pale gold — this is where the dish lives or dies: the anchovies must lose all solid form and become the salt base of the sauce, without the garlic colouring beyond gold.
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3
Add the squeezed borage to the pan. Toss over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning the leaves so each one is coated in the anchovy-garlic oil. The borage should retain visible structure and a slight gelatinous body — not reduced to a purée. Taste before adding any salt; the anchovies provide the salt base.
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4
Transfer to a warm plate. Bring the lemon wedge to the table and squeeze over at the moment of eating. The faint sharp acid lifts the mineral, cucumber-herbal character of the borage.