Pasta c’Anciuova e Muddica Atturrata (Sicilian Pasta With Anchovies and Toasted Breadcrumbs) Recipe

[Photograph: Sasha Marx]

The ocean, the solar, and the interaction of salty, candy, and bitter. That is the tongue-twisting listing of issues that come to thoughts once I consider Sicily and its delicacies. And all of those qualities are at play in a dish I used to be lately launched to referred to as pasta c’anciuova e muddica atturrata, which hails from Palermo.

This no-frills title interprets from dialect to “pasta with anchovies and toasted breadcrumbs.”* The title would possibly flip off anchovy skeptics preferring to have the presence of scrumptious salty fish hidden behind names of back-stabbed Roman emperors (or possibly they’ve unknowingly made a wildly in style, extra “approachable” model of this Sicilian pasta already, and seek advice from it by its viral web title that cleverly performs up the allium parts of the dish slightly than the ‘chovies). These individuals are lacking out.

*Palermo dialect to be exact, the place “anciuova” will get a “u”; the most effective I can describe the best way it is pronounced is ahnch-woah-vah, whereas in different components of the area it’s simply “anciova,” so it sounds extra like ahn-cho-vah.

That is an extremely easy dish to make, with an enormous savory-salty-sweet taste payoff. It begins with onion and garlic gently cooked in olive oil till they only start to melt. Anchovy fillets are added to the pan and allowed to dissolve earlier than a big spoonful of Sicilian tomato estratto is folded into the combo. Whereas related in look, estratto, or “astruttu” in dialect, is exponentially extra concentrated and intensely flavored than the common “double-concentrated” tomato paste utilized in vodka sauce. It is made with ripe tomatoes, which might be calmly cooked and “handed” or milled (as with passata). The tomato purée is seasoned calmly with salt, spread out on wooden boards, and sun-dried over the course of a number of days till nearly all the water has evaporated and the combination has decreased to a thick paste. As with sun-dried seaweed or the shellfish in XO sauce, this course of concentrates glutamate ranges to supply a deeply savory product.

Mixed with the punch of anchovies, the estratto makes for a [redacted] bomb if there ever was one. At this level, what you may have within the pan is extra of a paste than a sauce. So, the combination is loosened with the only of issues: Scorching water from the pasta pot, which is barely seasoned with salt to compensate for the saltiness of the anchovies. A fast stir, and you’ve got a full-bodied sugo.

Bucatini are cooked shy of al dente (I’m a fan of cooking pasta to “al chiodo,” or “to the nail,” within the water) earlier than transferring to complete cooking and marry with the sauce. As soon as the noodles are well-coated and cooked to your liking, golden raisins and pine nuts (a traditional Sicilian mixture that reveals the North African affect on the island’s delicacies) get tossed in, together with a handful of the “muddica atturrata,” or toasted breadcrumbs. The raisins present pops of sweetness that complement the onion and steadiness the salinity of the estratto and anchovies, the pine nuts lend a touch of nutty bitterness, and the breadcrumbs tighten the sauce, serving to it cling to the pasta even higher. As soon as plated, the pasta is topped with one other sprinkling of breadcrumbs for a crunchy end.

This dish has all of it—intense savory and salty notes from the anchovies and estratto, acidity from the tomatoes, sweetness from the onions and raisins, bitterness from the pinoli, and crunch from the muddica atturrata. Not unhealthy for what is actually a pantry pasta. By that token, I’ve written this recipe to work with each the standard (however expensive within the States) Sicilian tomato estratto, and the extra inexpensive (and extensively obtainable) concentrated tomato paste. Each variations are scrumptious, however I extremely suggest buying the estratto if it is inside your means. As a result of the recipe requires such small portions, the pine nuts and raisins are additionally listed as non-compulsory, however are extremely advisable; the dish will nonetheless style excellent with out, however they actually make this pasta shine.