Bucatini With Anchovies And Fennel

• 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

1. 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.
2. 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).

white bread, olive oil, salt, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, white, fennel seeds, freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, flat leaf parsley, parmesan

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/bucatini-with-anchovies-and-fennel-52876101 (may not work)