Spaghetti with Anchovies & Breadcrumbs
La spaghettata di mezzanotte or The Midnight Spaghetti Feast: After a raucous night of drinking, the typical Italian will bring the party back to their place and prepare a quick, tasty, plate of pasta to soak up all the alcohol. Enjoy with a group of friends or a special someone you’d like to impress, or even by your pajama-clad self. Just be careful, inebriation doesn’t mix well with hot oil on a stove. Start with the sauce’s ingredients in a cold pan and gradually bring them to temperature.
Directions
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, add pasta to cook according to package instructions.
In a large, cold, frying pan, add olive oil, garlic, capers, anchovies, and chili flakes. Turn on the heat and slowly allow it to come to a medium-high temperature. Break up the anchovies with the back of a wooden spoon and let them melt into the warming oil.
When the pasta is 2 minutes from "al dente", use a small coffee mug to reserve some of the pasta water. Set the mug aside and drain the pasta.
Working quickly, add the drained pasta to the frying pan, along with some of the pasta water and let it finish cooking on high heat for one minute.
Garnish with chopped parsley and toasted breadcrumbs.
Serve immediately. Tip: It is not customary to add grated cheese to any pasta with fish.
Pasta
Oils
Pantry Staples
