Provencal Pasta With Basil and Anchovy
"This lovely dish -- Pates au Pistou a l'Anchois -- is by way of Richard Olney in "Lulu's Provencal Kitchen." It is a not uncommon way to serve pasta in the south of France where, as here in the States, most dried pasta is imported from Italy."
photo by Rita1652
- Ready In:
- 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1.23 ml coarse salt
- 1.23 ml fresh coarse ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- 12 anchovy fillets, drained (if using salt-packed anchovies, use 6 and split each one after saoking off the excess salt)
- 236.59 ml fresh basil leaf, packed
- 157.80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 453.59 g dry pasta (penne, farfalle or the like)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
directions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a full boil and add the pastam cooking tll al dente (for penne, about 12 minutes).
- On a cutting board, sprinkle the crushed garlic cloves with the salt and pepper.
- Using the back of a fork, mash the garlic into a paste.
- Add the anchovies and keep mashing.
- Scrape the paste into a mortar, add the basil, and begin pounding with a wooden pestle until the mixture resembles a puree.
- Now, add the oil slowly, pounding all the while with your pestle.
- Note: You can do this in a blender or food processor, but purists (like myself) will tell you that the pistou will not taste or look the same if the basil is chopped with a blade.
- When your pasta is ready, place your serving bowl (heat-proof)in the sink.
- Drain your pasta, allowing the pasta water to warm your serving bowl.
- Place the pasta in the bowl, add the pistou and toss well.
- Serve accompanied by freshly grated parmesan cheese.
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Reviews
-
My husband said to give this dish a 5+. He is an anchovy lover, while I can take them or leave them. However, I can truthfully say that you would NEVER know that anchovies are in this dish. I followed the directions to a T, but my husband wants me to put in capers next time. Thanks for the great recipe, Kate. -
My DH & DS are anchovy haters and had no idea they were eating this and still don`t. I used jarred basil couldn`t get fresh and was out of my frozen. I did add fresh parsley. Thanks for a great easy recipe!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chef Kate
Annapolis, 60
<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
