Delicious Pasta Recipe

Pasta Milanese

“I love this pasta because all the ingredients speak to Sicily,” said chef Nick Lama of Avo restaurant in New Orleans. Red pepper provides punch, while the sweet tomatoes, fragrant fennel and salty anchovies balance harmoniously. Breadcrumbs add a delightful crunch.

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour – SERVES: 6

Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 anchovy fillets, minced
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bulb fennel, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon toasted ground fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
• 1 cup toasted breadcrumbs
• Sea salt

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and cook until lightly browned, 1 minute.
2. Add onions, fennel and garlic, and sweat until lightly golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Add fennel seed, black pepper, red pepper flakes and a few pinches of salt. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
4. Deglaze pan with white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, and cook until liquid reduces by one third, 3-5 minutes.
5. Either crush tomatoes by hand or pass through a food mill, and add to pot. Simmer sauce, stirring often, until thickened, 45 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
6. As sauce finishes cooking, boil pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Finish pasta with a sprinkle of toasted Italian breadcrumbs and serve.

—Adapted from Nick Lama, of Avo, New Orleans