“Pangrattato is great. It’s basically fried or toasted breadcrumbs in garlic oil. In Italy, pangrattato was once used as a substitute for Parmesan, which some people couldn’t afford. It gives a dish an excellent texture and crunch and, if made well, great flavour. ”
Ingredients
- 450 g dried spaghetti
- 2 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 16 anchovy fillets
- 2 lemons
- 2 small dried red chillies
- PANGRATTATO
- olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 good handful of fresh thyme
- 200 g fresh breadcrumbs
Method
- First make the pangrattato. Put 6 tablespoons of oil into a hot thick-bottomed pan.
- Peel, slice and add the garlic, strip in the thyme leaves and breadcrumbs; they will fry and begin to toast. Stir for a couple of minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are really crisp and golden. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and drain on kitchen paper.
- Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. While it is cooking, peel and finely chop the garlic, then heat gently in a pan with 4 tablespoons of oil.
- As the garlic begins to soften, lay the anchovy fillets over the top. After a minute you will see them begin to melt.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and crumble in the dried chillies.
- Drain the spaghetti and throw it into the sauce. Taste a bit of pasta – it may need a little more lemon juice and a little extra seasoning. Serve straight away, sprinkled really generously with the pangrattato.
Source: Jamie Oliver
