“Actually, this dish is more about my father and I. It is one of the first dishes that my father taught me to make. I grew up on an acreage. We had a lot of vegetables and work to do around the garden. I remember eating this for lunch outside in the peak heat of the summer. I would pick the parsley, garlic and fresh pepperoncini from the garden and watch him prepare it. I remember eating this every summer with him as far back as I can remember. I would always get a cold glass of my father’s homemade white wine with a little 7up in it. As I grew up I started making this simple pasta as a late night bite. Sometimes my father would smell the garlic frying and we would have a plate of pasta together at 2am. Different variations of this dish are made throughout Italy.”
–Daniel Costa, corso 32
Pangrattato
| 2-3 T | extra virgin olive oil |
| 1½ c | day-old bread ripped into small pieces |
| 1 clove | garlic |
| kosher salt |
Gently fry the clove of garlic over medium heat with the olive oil until golden. Add the bread and a pinch of salt. Continue to cook until breadcrumbs are golden, stir occasionally. Remove the garlic clove.
Spaghetti
| 500 g | spaghetti |
| 5 cloves | garlic, thinly sliced |
| 6 | salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and soaked in water for 10 minutes |
| 1 handful | flat leaf Italian parsley, leaves removed from stems and roughly chopped |
| 1 t | chili flakes (add more if desired) |
| ¼ c | pecorino cheese, finely grated |
| extra virgin olive oil | |
| 1 glass | white wine |
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a handful of salt. Cook the spaghetti until al dente (about 1-2 minutes per package instructions). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
While preparing the pasta; heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large deep frying pan (large enough to comfortably hold all of the pasta). Add garlic and anchovies, stir frequently and fry until garlic is golden. Add white wine and chili flakes continue to cook for 4 minutes.
Increase the heat of the pan to high, add the spaghetti, the reserved pasta cooking water and the parsley. Cook for 1 minute in the pan, stir frequently. Once the sauce is just coating the pasta remove from the heat and toss in the pecorino. Divide the pasta between 4 bowls and sprinkle the pangrattato on top. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.