One of the things that I regularly keep in my kitchen is a tin of anchovies, most of the time bought at Trader Joe’s. I thought it had been too long since I last made anything from a Jamie Oliver cookbook, and it was time to change that. A few months ago, my friends S & S finally gave me my Christmas present, and to my delight, it was the Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook. This cookbook is geared towards people who can’t really cook, so to me, it means simple recipes!
I was flipping through the book and came upon this recipe for Pasta Al Pangrattato. All you need are breadcrumbs, anchovies, thyme, dried chili, and pasta. Luckily, I had everything except thyme. Once I got the thyme, I prepped everything and made the dish. FYI, the anchovies that Trader Joe sells do not melt in the pan. I have tried it many times, and every time they don’t melt like they should. I have bought anchovies from higher-end grocery stores, and they do melt.
I wasn’t a big fan of this dish because it was too dry. I like my pasta with a bit of sauce, but this was hella easy to make and a good way to use up old bread.
Pasta Al Pangrattato
This article discusses the Pasta Al Pangrattato recipe from Jamie Oliver's cookbook, highlighting its simplicity and use of stale bread. It also mentions the potential drawbacks, such as the dish being too dry and the quality of anchovies affecting the outcome.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 dried chiles, to your taste
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 4 slices of stale bread
- Sea salt
- 1 pound dried fusilli
- 8 anchovies in oil
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Peel and finely slice the garlic.
- Finely chop your chiles.
- Pick the thyme leaves off the stalks.
- Slice the crusts off the bread and discard. If they’re dry enough, finely grate your slices of bread; if not, break them up into small breadcrumbs with your fingers or give them a quick whiz in a food processor.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.
- Add the fusilli and cook according to the package instructions.
- Halfway through the cooking time, put a large frying pan on medium heat and let it get hot. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the tin of anchovies into the pan, let it get hot, then stir in your breadcrumbs.
- Add the garlic, chile, thyme leaves, and anchovies (but not the remaining oil in the tin) and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring every so often, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Drain the fusilli in a colander over a bowl, reserving some of the cooking water in case you want to add a splash to loosen up the pasta.
- Add to the frying pan and stir well.
- Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the pasta.
- Give the pan a shake.
- Have a taste, and if you think it needs a little more lemon, squeeze the other half over too.
