Recipe: Spaghetti with Crispy Breadcrumbs
Throw all your preconceptions out the window! Spaghetti with breadcrumbs may not sound sexy at all, but it is certainly spectacular! In fact: once you’ve tried it, you won’t want to go without it.
I’m on a mission. A mission to get as many people as possible to eat pasta with breadcrumbs. It may seem like a lost cause, but I’ll just keep trying. It may seem like a small addition, but it has such an incredibly big effect. The crispy, salty breadcrumbs bring out all the flavors in the pasta and suddenly make the simplest pasta spectacular.
Poor Man’s Parmesan
In Italian, it’s called pangrattato, and it’s also known as Parmesan for the poor, but anyone who puts breadcrumbs on their pasta is rich beyond measure. Believe me. The sauce for this pasta is simple and fresh thanks to the lemon and fresh herbs. Be sure to make plenty of extra breadcrumbs, because from now on you’ll want them on all your pasta. You’re welcome.
How to make spaghetti with breadcrumbs
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Season with plenty of salt. Meanwhile, fry the breadcrumbs or panko in olive oil over medium heat until golden brown and crispy. Be careful not to let them burn; lower the heat if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl.
3. Drain the pasta and immediately stir it into the lemon mixture until all the cheese has melted. Divide among 4 plates and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
Tip! With tomatoes and anchovy butter
Crispy breadcrumbs are also delicious on pasta with tomatoes and anchovy butter: fry 1 clove of garlic and 6 anchovy fillets in 4 tbsp butter, add fresh tomatoes and fry until they just start to soften. Toss the pasta through this. Are you starting to drool yet??
Wine tip: Soave
Pairing wine with food doesn’t have to be difficult. It starts with the rule of thumb ‘what grows together, goes together.’ Regional cuisine goes perfectly with wines from the same region for a reason. Pasta, Parmesan, lemon? Naturally, an Italian wine is the very best match! Of course, you still have plenty of options, but have you ever considered a Soave?
Powerful, intense, layered and fresh
In 1927, Soave was one of the first Italian wine regions to be demarcated in order to guarantee the quality of its wines. ‘Soave Classico’ refers to this original production zone. It lies behind the centuries-old and picturesque village of Soave, in the Veneto region, about 20 kilometers east of Verona. The soil in the area is partly volcanic and partly packed with calcareous organisms. And you can taste that! A good Soave is powerful, intense and layered, while the wine’s subtlety is ensured by ever-present acidity that makes your mouth water… And the grape? In any case, it’s garganega, often on its own or in a blend, as in Farina’s Soave Classico, which combines a slightly appley and floral character with a hint of saltiness and a touch of flint. Delicious!
Read also:
