Ingredients
Serves 4400 g pasta bianca (see recipe below)
Sauce
1 clove garlic
6 fillets of anchovies in salt
30 g parsley and thyme leaves
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
100 g white bread crumbs
Greek basil to garnish
Pasta Dough
500 g 00 flour
200 ml sparking water
Pinch of salt
Method
(Pici Pasta with Breadcrumbs)
To make the pasta dough:
Spread the flour over the kitchen bench and form a ‘volcano’. Make a hole in the middle to put the water. Mix together the water and flour with you thumbs and fingertips to combine the dough. Kneed together energetically until you have formed elastic dough.
Wrap the dough in fling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before you use it.
To make this particular form of pasta ‘Pici’, roll out the pasta over a well floured bench until it is very thin (approx 3mm). Roll the entire sheet of pasta into a coil. Then cut slices 2cm thick down the entire roll. De-roll each slice one at a time. Individually take a piece of the pasta in the palm of your hand and roll it roughly with your fingers moving down the pasta until you have irregular spaghetti. Repeat the process with each piece of pasta. Flour a tray and line each piece of pasta on it with a space in between and then cover with a tea towel until ready to use.
Smash the garlic clove with the flat side of your kitchen knife and sauté in a pan with olive oil. Add two fillets of anchovies into the saucepan and stir with a spoon until the anchovies have melted. Then add the chopped thyme and parsley.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water and remove al dente. Keep some of the cooking water.
Add 1 tablespoon of the water from the pasta to the sauce, then add the pasta. Ensure the pasta is covered by the sauce and remove from heat.
To finish:
Place the pasta in the middle of the serving plate as a birds nest.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs, roughly cut 4 anchovies and place over the pasta and garnish with Greek basil.