Dinner Tonight: Spaghetti with Garlic, Anchovies, and Chili
The magic of garlic and chili together in a skillet is enough to build a hundred pastas on. In fact, I'm willing to try almost anything that improvises on this marvelous combination, especially when the humble anchovy is added to the mix. Like in this Orecchiette with Broccoli I made a few weeks ago, the anchovy takes the already spicy and nutty concoction and adds a deep roundness, as the little fillets seem to melt into the olive oil and disappear completely. Not fishy or overly strong, they simply make everything taste better.
So when I was looking over an old New York Times article from Mark Bittman about quick ways to cook dinner, this line stuck out: "A Roman classic: slivered garlic, with six or so anchovy fillets and a dried hot chili or two. Dress pasta with this." Maybe the garlic/chili/anchovy combination was not only a good start to a pasta, but good enough all on its own.
I made sure to get some good-quality anchovies and fancy bronze-die pasta, and dinner came together as soon as my pasta finished cooking. It was a subtle dish, to be sure, and I was glad I splurged on the pasta, because it's the most important taste in the dish.
Spaghetti with Garlic, Anchovies, and Chili
-serves 2-
Adapted from The New York Times
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, slivered
6-8 anchovy fillets in olive oil, roughly chopped
2 dried red chilis, or 1 good pinch red pepper flakes
4 ounces good-quality spaghetti
Procedure
1. Bring a pot of salty water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserving some pasta cooking water.
2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili and cook until the garlic is fragrant and soft, 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the anchovy fillets and mash them into the olive oil until they melt. Continue cooking until the garlic is quite soft and just beginning to turn golden, but not yet brown. Remove the red chilies if you used them.
4. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Add a little pasta cooking water and continue stirring to create a sauce with the olive oil. Serve immediately.
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13 Comments:
Holy crap does this look good. Anchovies are so underrated...
BangieB at 5:17PM on 06/30/09
Sounds delicious. And I like that you mention "good pasta". By the way, you can get good pasta at Trader Joe's for close to the price of basic supermarket pasta (not all of TJ's pasta, but some). Not much variety in shape/size though.
schmonsequences at 6:44PM on 06/30/09
I was just talking about the first time I had pasta dressed this way! It was so fantastic, I ate my share and my husband's (he was too busy talking).
wookie at 7:28PM on 06/30/09
wish we could have seen the final product!
hungryinhouston at 8:05PM on 06/30/09
hope you tossed in a handful of chopped fresh italian parsley when it was done...... because that's what really ties it all together..... it's not just a garnish, it adds a certain freshness to the plate.
pooch at 8:44PM on 06/30/09
Did you actually finish this dish?
izatryt at 9:14PM on 06/30/09
Mamma Mia!
cyberpup at 11:43PM on 06/30/09
I prefer shallots in this preparation - I love the sweetness and deeper flavor than that of garlic, which I find a bit too punchy.
Black pepper also helps.
shoneyjoe at 1:30AM on 07/01/09
Amazingly enough - Costco's sells bronze-cut spaghetti. I buy it regularly, because my husband and I moved here from Bologna, Italy and he is rather, erm, passionate about his pasta.
I've never found it necessary to chop the anchovies before warming them in the oil - they generally fall apart and melt into the oil pretty easily. A fork can help them along if necessary.
And yes - if you have fresh parsley, it certainly adds to the dish, but even without, this is worth doing.
annaraven at 2:00AM on 07/01/09
looks amazing!!
PineappleJones at 2:32AM on 07/01/09
By using the word “fancy,” it seems as if you really don’t understand the idea of rough vs. smooth pasta. But, maybe you didn’t have emigrant Italian grandparents as I did. Some homework is in your future. Nice article.
Fred Rickson at 11:43AM on 07/01/09
I make basically the same thing, except I use red pepper flakes, I add butter to the olive oil, and I like it with a squeeze of lemon. Parsley mixed with toasted breadcrumbs to top it all off.
Junie at 11:52AM on 07/01/09
Why on earth would you make this in a non stick skillet???
simon at 7:33PM on 07/01/09