(recipe, Giovanna Zivny)
primary-image, l
Introduction
This pasta dish, a standby in our house, is the kind of supper you can throw together in a flash. I try to keep a steady supply of breadcrumbs in the freezer by turning surplus bread into crumbs. Our pantry generally has a few cans of good-quality anchovies, and if there’s no parsley in the garden, I try to have some in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Steps
Note
Because this dish depends on the anchovies, buy the best available. I don’t usually use the oil from the anchovies; if you decide to add some, taste it first and be sure it’s a good-tasting olive oil. Double the recipe and save the leftovers for the next night. With a few eggs, you can turn the leftovers into a delicious spaghetti frittata. Culinate editor's note: Sunset magazine has a very similar recipe for spaghetti con acciughe e mollica_ that incorporates spicy chiles and notes that this dish is traditional in Calabria as part of the Christmas seven-fishes feast. Lynne Rossetto Kasper's Friday-Night Spaghetti with Tuna and Black Olives is very similar, too. Soft roasted garlic makes a delicious paste when mashed with the anchovies. Vary this dish by swapping good-quality canned tuna for the anchovies and fennel fronds for the parsley. Cooked white beans are also nice, as are capers, fresh tomatoes, and lemon zest. Read more about family suppers in Giovanna Zivny's "Teaching the kids to cook."