Spaghetti With Oranges, Dates, and Anchovies

Suggested tweaks: Be sure to save quite a bit of pasta cooking water. The spaghetti and bread crumbs quickly soak up the thick sauce. I used over 1/2 a cup to loosen the sauce.

Ingredients

serves Serves 4, active time 25 minutes, total time 25 minutes

• 1/2 cup (56 g) homemade coarsely ground breadcrumbs, toasted
• Olive oil
• 1 pound (455 g) spaghetti or other long pasta, preferably Felicetti
• 4 oil-packed anchovy filets
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) white wine
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste
• 12 dried dates, thinly sliced
• Zest of 1 orange, cut into long strips

Procedures

1. Put the breadcrumbs in a small frying pan over medium-high heat, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and re-toast, stirring often, until crunchy. Set them aside on a paper towel.
   
2. Boil the pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the package directs. Drain.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over very low heat, slowly heat ¼ cup (60 ml) oil with the anchovies, pressing the anchovies with a wooden spoon until they dissolve. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the tomato paste and dates and simmer for a few minutes.
   
4. Toss the pasta in the sauce to finish cooking it, adding a little cooking liquid as needed. Serve the pasta topped with the breadcrumbs and long strips of orange zest.