Erica De Mane

A view of the Spanish Steps in Rome from Keats’s day room.

Recipe: Spaghetti with Anchovies, Summer Tomatoes, and Walnuts

When John Keats lay fading away on his day bed in the end throes of tuberculosis, wanly staring out at the Spanish steps, his doctor decided on a diet of one anchovy a day—instead of the laudanum Keats really wanted. Hard to say why the doctor focused on the lowly anchovy (and only one), but this peculiar diet not only caused the poet to lose even more weight, but the wrenching starvation elevated his pain and soon pushed him over the edge mentally. This was a romantic decision made in the Romantic period by a desperate doctor. That’s one way to lose weight. I love anchovies, but I prefer using them as an accent point, to enhance food and enhance life, not as a sole means of sustenance (even when not at death’s door).

Lately I’ve wanted a lot of anchovies. I’ve been thinking about ways to work them into dishes I never would have thought of in the past. For instance I don’t often add them to a raw summer tomato sauce, preferring the fleeting perfection of summer tomatoes unencumbered. But recently I chopped up a few anchovies and added them to a batch of pomodoro crudo, throwing in a handful of toasted walnuts too. I really liked the result. This easy sauce is sweet, sour, salty, and surprisingly rich. It’s nice tossed with spaghetti.

I’m picky about my anchovies. I think everyone should be. (I have no idea if Keats’s doctor was. I know he wasn’t Italian, so I have my doubts.) When it comes to preserved anchovies, you can get either salt-packed or oil-packed ones. When I’m going to heat anchovies, I prefer the salt-packed kind. After soaking, they’re transformed almost back to the consistency of fresh fish, and they can take a gentle simmer. Oil-packed are sturdier and chewier and have an altered, more thoroughly preserved taste that I really like. A good oil-packed brand like Flott from Sicily has great flavor, and its rugged texture is more appealing in an uncooked sauce than the tender and quite fishy salt-packed kind. You can purchase Flott anchovies (they make both oil- and salt-packed, and both are excellent) from buonitalia.com.

So here’s another summer pasta for you. I view it as a first-course pasta, not a meal in a bowl, since it doesn’t contain much protein and its intense flavor is better enjoyed in small portions. Remember to keep the spaghetti very al dente, which improves its glycemic index. I’d serve this pasta before some type of grilled fish (sardines?) served over a green salad. And for dessert try a bowl of sliced summer peaches soaked in red wine. That will make a healthy summer dinner to help keep the doctor away.

Buddy and Fumio guard my jar of Flott oil-packed anchovies.

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Summer Tomatoes, and Walnuts

(Serves 6 as a first course)

3 large, round summer tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice (you’ll want at least 2 cups)
Salt
5 oil-packed anchovies, minced
1 large summer garlic clove, minced
1 cup shelled walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
A large handful of flat-leaf parsley, the leaves lightly chopped
A few thyme sprigs, the leaves chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup dry breadcrumbs
½ a hot fresh chili, minced
A generous pinch of sugar
1 pound spaghetti

Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander, and sprinkle them with a little salt. Let them drain for about an hour. Pour the tomatoes into a bowl (you might mix the drained-out tomato juice with a splash of vodka and drink it down—a little gift for the cook). Add the anchovies, garlic, walnuts, parsley, thyme, black pepper, and about 1/3 cup of olive oil. Add a little extra salt. Give it all a good mix, and let it sit for about ½ hour to develop flavor.

In a small skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium flame. Add the breadcrumbs and the minced fresh chili, and sauté until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Transfer this to a small bowl.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, and drain well. Pour it into a large serving bowl, and pour on the tomato sauce. Add a tablespoon of the toasted breadcrumbs, and toss. Serve right away, sprinkling some of the remaining breadcrumbs over each serving.