Spaghetti with Spicy Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 pounds Spaghetti
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 1 Brown Onion, Diced
- 1 teaspoon White Sugar
- 1/2 loaves Day Old Sourdough Baguette
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Or More As Needed
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 4 whole Canned Anchovy Fillets (packed In Olive Oil And Salt)
- 1/2 cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
- Kosher Salt
- 1.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- 2.
- Begin to caramelize the onions by melting the butter in a medium sized skillet over low (very low) heat.
- 3.
- Add the onions.
- Add a pinch of kosher salt and cover the skillet.
- Let the onions cook with the lid on, for about 5 minutes.
- 4.
- Add sugar to the onions and stir frequently for another 10-15 minutes or until onions are really dark in color.
- 5.
- Check your pot of water around now to see if its boiling.
- If it is, salt the water generously and plop your spaghetti in.
- On a side note, any other pasta shape would be just as lovely in this dish.
- Set your timer for the al dente time listed on the package.
- 6.
- Add a tablespoon of water to the pan of onions and use the additional liquid to get up some of the brown bits in the pan.
- Cook for 5 more minutesthe onions will make almost a jam-like texture.
- Set aside.
- 7.
- Take the day old bread and tear it into smaller pieces.
- 8.
- Put bread in the blender/food processor and pulse until completely broken down into crumbs.
- If you are using a blender, I highly recommend using the tamper to push down the pieces of bread into the blade.
- 9.
- Remove the onions from the skillet and set them aside.
- Heat half of the olive oil in the same skillet.
- Keep the flame at a very low heat.
- Add in your raw breadcrumbs after about 30 seconds of letting the oil heat.
- Stir the breadcrumbs in the olive oil to completely coat them.
- 10.
- Dont stop stirring!
- These will quickly start to toast.
- Just keep them moving to get a consistent color throughout the batch.
- Add a pinch of salt once they are golden brown all over.
- Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- 11.
- Before you drain your pasta when its al dente and ready to go, take a mug and remove some of the cooking liquid.
- Set aside.
- This will be quite important later, when we are mixing everything together.
- Then you can drain your pasta and set it aside.
- 12.
- In the same skillet used for the breadcrumbs add the remaining half of the olive oil and let it come to temperature over very low heat for about 15 seconds.
- Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies.
- 13.
- Using your spoon, smash the anchovies into the pan to break them down.
- Make sure they are fully infused into the oil.
- After cooking for approximately 2 minutes, turn off the heat.
- Strain the oil to remove garlic and anchovy pieces and set the oil aside.
- 14.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix all of the components with your pasta.
- Play around with what you want more and less ofbreadcrumbs, caramelized onions, garlic and anchovy oil, parsley and your reserved pasta cooking liquid (add water one tablespoon at a time, until the texture of the pasta is mixed together and bound together).
- 15.
- When serving, just for me, sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt on the top.
butter, brown onion, white sugar, loaves, olive oil, garlic, red pepper, salt, parsley, kosher salt
Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spaghetti-with-spicy-breadcrumbs/ (may not work)