Ingredients
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g bucatini or spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
200g white or regular anchovy fillets, drained and very roughly chopped
2 teaspoon lightly toasted fennel seeds, gently crushed
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley or finely chopped fennel leaf tips
1 cup grated Parmesan
Preparation
Whiz bread slices in a food processor to form bread crumbs. Heat oil in a frypan and add breadcrumbs, sea salt and pepper. Toss around over a medium heat for a few minutes until golden and crunchy.
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil and cook spaghetti according to packet instructions until just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. (Al dente as you know means ‘firm to the bite’ and believe me, proper Italian pasta really is a little firm, certainly not squishy…so if you don’t normally, maybe try it a little firmer than you are used to. Not solid clearly, but definitely with a little nugget of resistance in the core of the spaghetti.) Heat oil in a large pot and add garlic, anchovies and fennel seeds. Cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned and the anchovies are starting to break up. Add the pasta to the pot with a good grinding of black pepper, the reserved pasta water, half of the Parmesan, and half of the parsley or fennel tips. Serve with a good grinding of black pepper, the rest of the parsley or fennel tips and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs with Parmesan passed separately around the table. Serves 4-6 (6 for lunch, 4 for dinner with a nice big salad on the side).
