Spaghetti with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs

To prepare the spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs, set a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil (you don't need to salt it): it will be used to cook the pasta later. Meanwhile, pour 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil into a pan, then add the peeled whole garlic cloves 1 and the drained anchovy fillets 2. Take a ladleful of hot water and pour it into the pan to help dissolve the anchovies better 3. This will take about 10 minutes, so stir often.

In the meantime, in a separate pan, pour 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil 4, then add the breadcrumbs to toast them 5 and mix everything until the crumbs are golden brown; set the breadcrumb mixture aside 6.

At this point, cook the pasta in the now boiling water; you can add a pinch of coarse salt if you prefer, as the anchovies are very flavorful. Cook the spaghetti for only 5 minutes 7. After this time, remove the garlic cloves from the sauce pan 8 and drain the pasta, transferring it directly into the pan 9.

Stir the spaghetti, adding cooking water as needed, and stir occasionally to cook evenly 10. When the pasta is ready, turn off the heat and add part of the breadcrumb mixture, then mix 11. If necessary, add a little more cooking water, then plate your spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs and garnish with a final sprinkle of the breadcrumb mixture 12.