Spaghetti in Garlic Anchovy Butter with Stewed Tomatoes

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At the suggestion of my friend Justin, I subscribed to Bon Appetit for some inspiration. It's been years since I've subscribed to any cooking magazines, my last being Gourmet magazine which ended as a collection of aspirational recipes for the rich home cook, and advertisements disguised as articles (a disgusting practice I still abhor on the internet and in print). But Bon Appetit has been an incredible inspiration thus far, and the recipes are all absolutely home cook friendly (and wallet friendly). This one is ripped directly from the pages of their newest issue (though I upped the quantities of garlic and anchovy significantly).



At the gentle ribbing of Anne (previously "Sporty Anne" or "The Sportress"), I decided to try something "more vegetarian." Fine fine, anchovies are not vegetarian, and I'd even recommend substituting in some tomato paste instead of anchovy if you're really that concerned/dedicated. But you'd deprive yourself of the joy of watching the salty fish fillets literally melt away, creating this amazing, salty butter sauce. Honestly, is there anything more viscerally pleasing than watching things melt? Okay, also peeling off that thin film that comes on the surface of new electronics ...



Anyway, sidetracking aside, the best part about this meal: $15, 20 minutes total cook time, 4 servings. Easily a weeknight meal, good for stepping up your game and impressing a lady friend or your cat, who will, immediately upon hearing the can of anchovies open and smelling the fishiness, assume that it's Wet Food O'Clock. Which reminds me: Spaghetti Cat.



Anyway, this is a perfect weeknight meal, and I will admit that 4 servings ended up more like 2 normal servings and one gorging serving. The entire apartment smelled so delicious!

Ingredients:



  • 1/2 lb spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup of water used to cook the spaghetti, reserved
  • 4(ish) Tbs unsalted butter
  • 1 tin of anchovies in oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Lbs fresh tomatoes, quartered and salted/peppered generously
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • Lemon zest of half a lemon (optional)



To Prepare:
  1. In a large pot, cook the 1/2 lb of spaghetti. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water when you drain the spaghetti. Per usual preaching: heavily salt the water you are cooking the pasta in to impart some flavor. While this is cooking, you can start the rest of the meal. When the pasta is finished, set aside in its strainer.

  2. Melt 4(ish) Tbs of butter in a large pan at medium heat. Or 5 Tbs. Remember; this is America! More = Better!
  3. Once the butter is melted, use a fork to get the anchovy fillets from their tin and directly into the pan. Add the garlic as well. Now cook until the anchovies have literally melted away into the butter, infusing it with their salty fishy deliciousness ... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm /drool.
  4. Once the anchovies have melted away and the garlic has softened, and your entire apartment smells like buttery garlicky divinty, add your quartered tomatoes to the pan.
  5. Simmer the tomatoes for a long while. As they cook, you can break them up a bit with your spoon. Ultimately, you are stewing the tomatoes, simultaneously softening the meat of the tomatoes, infusing them with the garlic anchovy butter, and releasing their liquids to make for more sauce.
     
  6. Simmering should take between 15-20 minutes.End result should look something like this.
  7. Add the cooked spaghetti and the half cup of reserved pasta water to the pan, stirring to cover the pasta it with the sauce. Cook an additional 5 minutes to soak the sauce right up into the noodles.

  8. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, stirring to incorporate evenly. At this point, you may also wish to add the slightest bit of lemon zest to add to the summery freshness of the dish.
Et voila! 



Bon appetit!

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