Erica De Mane

Attempting to Capture Taste (Movement #2), squid ink applied by tongue on paper, by Christopher Reynolds.

Recipe below: Squid Ink Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Anchovies, and Saffron

If you have followed my cooking over the years, you know I love anchovies. As my style continues to evolve, anchovies endure. Pizza, to me, means anchovy pizza. Mozzarella with anchovies, ricotta with anchovies, spaghetti with anchovies, anchovy butter on lamb chops, anchovies eaten straight from the jar at 3 a.m. when I can’t sleep. For cooking, I prefer the deep musky taste of good oil-packed ones. The salt-packed are wonderful too, best marinated and eaten almost like fresh, but mostly when I want anchovies in a pasta, oil-packed are what I crave. I know you’re asking which ones I like best. Well, for me the best supermarket brands are Ortiz, from Spain, and the Italian Agostino Recca. You can spend more on fancier ones, but you really needn’t. Both of these are excellent to cook with.

Squid ink pasta cooks up slippery black, with a subtle salinity. I find it extremely attractive. It’s wonderful with an anchovy-based sauce like this one. I used Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand pasta. Setaro also makes a really good squid ink spaghetti.

Despite the amount of anchovy in this sauce, the dish is surprisingly sweet and gentle. Butter, shallots, saffron, and pine nuts give it luxury. Tomatoes and white wine add acidity. I like food with this kind of balance.

Squid Ink Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Anchovies, and Saffron

(Serves 4 or 5)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, cut into small dice
8 or so thyme sprigs, the leaves lightly chopped
10 oil-packed anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
A palmful of pine nuts
1 pound squid ink spaghetti
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
A big splash of white wine
A large pinch of saffron threads, dried and ground and then dissolved in a few tablespoons of warm water
½ cup chicken broth, or possibly a touch more
Piment d’Espelette to taste
A handful of basil leaves, lightly chopped
Salt, if needed

Set up a pot of pasta cooking water, add salt, and bring it to a boil.

While the water is heating, set a large skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of butter and a big drizzle of olive oil. Add the shallot, thyme, and anchovies, and sauté until everything is soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the pine nuts, and let them go golden, about a minute longer.

Drop the pasta in the pot.

Turn the heat up a bit under the butter and pine nuts, and add the tomatoes, letting them sear until they give off juice, about 3 minutes. Add a splash of white wine, and let it bubble out. Add the saffron water and the chicken broth, and simmer on low heat for a minute or so. Turn off the heat.

When the pasta is al dente, drain it, and pour it into a large serving bowl. Add the rest of the butter, and toss. Add the anchovy tomato sauce, a hit of Piment d’Espelette, and the basil. Add a bit more chicken broth if the sauce seems to need moisture. Add a little salt, if you want, and toss gently. Serve right away.

And for your listening pleasure, here’s a little tale by the J. Geils Band called “No Anchovies, Please.”