For my inaugural recipe post, I thought it would be appropriate to introduce a recipe highlighting the two ingredients that prompted the name of my blog. I use lemons on almost everything and I’m lucky enough to have a thriving meyer lemon tree in my backyard. As for anchovies, well, you either love them or you hate them. Can you guess which camp I’m in? If you’re one who’s decided to dislike anchovies before trying them, I urge you to give this recipe a chance. This dish is not fishy–the anchovies dissolve into the “sauce”, marrying with the garlic, peperoncino and olive oil packing a great umami punch.
Besides the flavor, I love that this dish can be prepared in the time it takes to boil the pasta. It’s a pantry dish; I always have the ingredients available. And most importantly, my husband loves it. This is what we had for dinner tonight and Porky and Petunia (our nicknames 🙂 ) just devoured a whole pound of pasta! We did balance the meal out with an arugula salad that complements this dish really well. The arugula is simply tossed with fresh lemon juice and olive oil. I usually can’t wait to dig into the pasta so I’ve gotten into the habit of serving it on top of the greens.
The inspiration for this recipe comes from one of my favorite chefs, Biba Caggiano. Here’s the recipe as published in her cookbook, Italy al Dente (italics = my additions):
Spaghetti with Anchovies
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I like to drizzle more on top before serving)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used two)
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I used 4 large ones)
- 8 – 10 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti
- hot pepper flakes (I use about a teaspoon or so)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I use twice this much, half to mix into “sauce” as it cooks and the other half to top the pasta)
- Last, but not least, I added the juice of about half a lemon
- I also add about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of the pasta water
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the butter begins to foam, reduce heat to low, add the garlic, anchovies, pepper flakes and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes, making sure that the garlic does not color and the anchovies cook to a soft paste. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt and the spaghetti. Cook uncovered over high heat until pasta is al dente. Drain the spaghetti and place in the skillet with the sauce. Toss everything well over low heat until pasta and sauce are well combined.
Note to Self: Learn to take better pictures.
Spaghetti with Anchovies
Just a handful of pantry staples is all you need for an umami-packed, speedy meal.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4-5 cloves garlic chopped
- 8-10 anchovy fillets
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes or to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 1/2 lemon juice of
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 cup pasta water optional
Instructions
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Prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add about one tablespoon of kosher salt and cook the pasta until al dente (usually one to two minutes earlier than the recommended cooking time on the package).
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Prepare the sauce: While the pasta cooks heat the butter and oil over medium heat in a skillet large enough to accommodate the pasta. When the butter begins to foam, add the garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes.
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Cook, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon, for six to eight minutes, adjusting the heat so the garlic doesn't burn. The garlic should become tender and take on only a light brown color. After this time the anchovy fillets will have dissolved into the oil and butter.
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The pasta should be ready by this time. Reserve about one cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
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Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss with the parsley and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt if you feel it needs it, though anchovies tend to be salty enough already. If the pasta looks dry, add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water at a time and toss. You may also drizzle more olive oil according to your liking.
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Plate the pasta and serve with lemon wedges and additional parsley if you wish.
I came across your site this morning and I just love it !!!. I’m always looking for new recipes (tired of making my family the same ol’ same ol’) and you just made it easy for me . I look forward to reading more ..Keep those recipes and blogs coming .
I really can’t wait to try this! Your additions to the recipe sound great.
I am also so jealous–a Meyer lemon tree in your backyard! We have tried growing lemons. One year we got 3 or 4 little ones. They don’t do so well in Seattle.