In my current WIP (work in progress) each chapter starts with a page from the diary of a Tessa Cavalleri , young Neapolitan girl who comes to New York City at the turn of the century. Recently I spent a week in Naples to get a sense of time and place and discovered, among many things that true Neapolitan cuisine that is very different than the Italian meals we find in American restaurants. The recipes in Tessa’s diary highlights the brilliance of Italian mothers to produce healthy and delicious meals despite deep poverty and hardships. This recipe for spaghetti and breadcrumbs with a dash of red pepper flakes is a delicious example of this ingenuity.
Spaghetti and bread crumbs uses the ingredients that were readily available. Spaghetti, garlic and olive oil were always affordable while breads crumbs made good use of stale bread. The bread crumbs, toasted in garlic flavored oil were a delicious alternative to the far more expensive parmesan cheese. (This recipe is drawn from 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman, Harper Perennial)
Spaghetti with Bread Crumbs
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of spaghetti
- ¼ cup of olive oil plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
- Gently warm up the olive oil and lightly saute the sliced garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss bread crumbs into the garlic flavored olive oil and cook until lightly brown.
- Meanwhile bring a pot of water to boil and ease spaghetti strands into the water. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Drain the spaghetti, reserving ½ cup of pasta water for the sauce.
- Combine remaining olive oil and pasta water and stir into drained spaghetti
- Top with parsley and bread crumbs and mix lightly.