“… Think outside the box woman! …”
Anchovies. One of life’s little treasure. Anchovies on pizza and in Caesar salad dressing have always led me to lose control. Lay them on baby. Extra anchovies, the more the better! Saltiness fishiness smokiness oh my goodness-ness.
Why have I never thought to make this pasta dish before? I mean jeezum-crow… where have you been Briggy? Think outside the box woman! Outside! The anchovies in this dish do not – I repeat – do not taste like anchovies. For some reason that I will never understand, they give off this smoky flavour when they’re broken down, cooked with the butter and garlic. Absolutely to die for.
Now it’s very rare that I follow a recipe word for word without tweeking it one way or another. And this recipe is no exception. Original recipe found on Bon Appétit. Tweeked recipe by moi.
Thank you Anchovies. I. Love. You.
Cook your spaghetti in water as salty as the ocean. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain pasta and set aside.
Ok. Now the fun part. In a large skillet over medium heat, add your pepper flakes, chopped garlic and anchovies to your olive oil and butter.
Wait a minute or so.
Now inhale the wonderful aroma of garlic sautéing in butter. Mmmmm. Garlic. Smells good right? Once the garlic has softened you’ll notice the anchovies starting to break down. This should take about three or four minutes – but don’t let the butter brown! Turn the flame down if you witness this atrocity.
Next, add your chopped Romas and let them simmer for a moment, letting all the flavours meld, and just like The Turtles – so happy together. Squish the ‘matos with a potato masher a bit, add the 1/4 cup of pasta water and let simmer for a good ten minutes. Take a little taste. Salty enough? No? Add a pinch of salt. Our a-buddies are salty little gems, so careful not to over season!
Now add your “shpaghet” to your sauce and toss toss toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper once more, garnish with chives, drizzle with olive oil and chow down!♥
- 454 grams (1 pound) spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tin (50 grams) of anchovy fillets (packed in oil), chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds (about 8 tomatoes) Roma tomatoes, chopped in one inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons of chopped chives
- Good olive oil for drizzling
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cook spaghetti as per package directions and drain, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in red pepper flakes then the anchovies and garlic.
- Stir until anchovies are broken down and garlic is soft, about 4 minutes.
- Now add your chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Let simmer for a minute or two until the tomatoes soften, then with a potato masher, gently mash down the tomatoes, letting out their juices and incorporating them into the sauce.
- Let simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and toss in the pasta and reserved pasta liquid. Toss the pasta well until it is nicely coated with the sauce.
- Serve garnished with chives and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy.
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