Spaghetti with Toasted Breadcrumbs
Spaghetti with flavorful bits of garlicky toasted breadcrumbs is a delicious twist on a classic garlic and oil recipe.
Servings: 0
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus an extra 1/3 cup
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 anchovy fillets
- 6 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 cup bread crumbs preferably from day old rustic bread
- 1 lb spaghetti
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- To make the homemade breadcrumbs, use a food processor to pulse pieces of day old bread or the large holes on a box grater to grate the bread. Set aside.
- Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Generously salt and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente, tender yet firm to the bite, according to the package directions. Reserve at least 2 cups of pasta water before draining. Drain well.
- In the meantime, in a saute pan over low-medium heat, add 1/4 cup oil. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the garlic, saute until golden, taking care not to burn. Turn off the heat.
- In a separate larger skillet or saute pan, add remaining 1/3 cup of oil over low-medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until toasted, about 1 minute. Add anchovies to the pan, breaking them up with a wooden spoon until they dissolve, about 3 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium and add the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until they are deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes (don’t be afraid to let them darken, just take care not to let them burn). Remove from heat.
- Carefully add 1 cup of reserved pasta water to the pan with the garlic and oil and raise the heat to medium. Season lightly with salt.
- Add the spaghetti to the garlic and oil and toss to coat evenly, when the pasta water is mostly absorbed add the remaining 1 cup of reserved pasta water, season lightly with salt and pepper and continue to toss until the pasta is well coated, but not watery. The sauce will thicken as you toss – keep in mind the breadcrumbs will also absorb some of the liquid and the pasta will continue to absorb as it sits. Turn off heat.
- Add less than half of the breadcrumb mixture to the pasta and toss well to distribute evenly. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top of each serving and serve the rest of the toasted breadcrumbs at the table.
Notes
For homemade breadcrumbs, use a good stale rustic bread cut into small pieces They must be very dry or the breadcrumbs will be gummy. If you only have fresh bread, dry the bread by spreading pieces on a cookie sheet in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. After they’ve dried, they can be crushed further to make them fine, you can use a food processor to help.