Pici with breadcrumbs and extra virgin olive oil Toscano PGI

 

Ingredients for 6 people
500 g of durum wheat semolina dried pici
130/140 ml of extra virgin olive oil Toscano PGI
90 g of stale bread
450 g of fresh anchovies fillets
1 lemon
6 sprigs of wild fennel or parsley
1 garlic clove
1 small chili pepper
pomegranate seeds
salt and pepper
Preparation
Fill a big pot with abundant water and bring it to a boil. Salt the water and cook the pici (it will take around 20 minutes).
Pour over the anchovies fillets 20/30 g of oil and a pinch of salt and marinate them.
In the meanwhile grind the stale bread with a food processor or chop it with a knife. Put the breadcrumbs in a pan with 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil Toscano PGI and a garlic clove. Add a pinch of salt and stir the breadcrumbs until they acquire a golden colour and they become crunchy but not burned. Put them aside. Heat 40/50 ml of oil in a pan and add half of the breadcrumbs, the grated lemon zest, half of the wild fennel or parsley, and the chili pepper cut in half. Then add the anchovies fillets. Cook them on a low heat for a few minutes.
When the pasta is still “al dente”, drain it and keep half a glass of the cooking water. Put the pasta in the pan with the mixture, sautéing it for a few minutes. Add a bit of cooking water if needed.
Serve the pasta, adding the other half of the breadcrumbs and the chopped wild fennel or parsley. Decorate the plates with some pomegranate seeds.