My family loves pasta. I've cut back a bit on it, so when I prepare it, I try to make it count by including ingredients that I don't use on a regular basis. For example, anchovies. This recipe is adapted from one I found in the back of the seat pocket in front of me as I returned home from #IndieCruise Mastermind 2014.
It's from Nigella Lawson, but I made it my own, adding basil and eliminating the capers and almonds in the original recipe. The raisins add the right amount of sweetness. Let me warn you that I like garlic more than your average amateur chef. There's plenty of garlic and anchovies in here, and you could cut both in half and still have a great dish. We tend to like super savory over here, so bear that in mind as you prepare this for people with different tastes. I suppose you could add Parmesan cheese, but I didn't, and it's still delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lbs. fusilli
- 1 1/4 cups grape tomatoes (I used some from my garden!)
- a 2-ounce package of canned anchovies, drained really well
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves (I used some from my garden!)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Step 1: Cook fusilli in boiling salted water according to package directions.
Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by putting the tomatoes, anchovies, raisins, garlic and olive oil into a food processor, and process until you have a nubby-textured sauce. It makes up pretty quickly. Here is a close-up of what the sauce looked like after I made it.
Set the sauce aside while the pasta finishes cooking.
Step 4: Drain the pasta, then pour it into a warm serving bowl. Pour the sauce on top, tossing to coat.
Step 5: Add the basil leaves, and toss gently to coat them with your sauce.
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Best and Success!
