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Pasta with anchovies and vegetables

Pasta with Anchovies and Vegetables

Your anchovies won't sit forgotten in the fridge anymore. Once you've tried this dish, you'll start buying anchovies for more than just salad. It has that fish-meets-pasta flavor that's new to many of us, and it's packed with vitamins thanks to all the vegetables.

Vkustoria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Broccoli

500

Zucchini

500

Green peas (frozen)

200

Garlic

Anchovies

Elbow macaroni

300

Olive oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 25 % 6 g

Fats 8 % 2 g

Carbohydrates 67 % 16 g

103 kcal

GI: 25 / 75 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. Cool it in ice water and drain. Cut the zucchini into small pieces.
Step 2:

Finely chop the garlic. Cut the anchovy fillets into small pieces. Sauté the garlic and anchovies for 5 minutes in a heated, oiled skillet, stirring.
Step 3:

Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions.
Step 4:

Add the broccoli, zucchini, and green peas to the skillet with the anchovies. Sauté, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Season with pepper, and add salt if needed.
Step 5:

Add the anchovy-vegetable mixture to the pasta and toss together.

Canned anchovies aren't eaten on their own—they have a concentrated, distinctive flavor, so they're used only as a savory seasoning. Interestingly, anchovies get their pink color from the brine: a small amount of saltpeter is added, which also makes the fish more tender. You'll only find fresh anchovies in Mediterranean cooking. In Italy, various anchovy pizzas are popular, but today we're making pasta. I found this recipe ages ago in a cookbook—after searching every source I could, where I kept running into recipes that were either too complicated, with hard-to-find ingredients, or of doubtful flavor. It's best to use fresh vegetables, of course, but in winter I use frozen broccoli too; just choose florets that aren't too small so the broccoli holds its shape during cooking. You can also swap the zucchini for young summer squash—young, specifically, since it has less moisture, which we don't want here, or the vegetables will steam in their own juices instead of frying properly. Frozen green peas don't need to be thawed first; we'll just sauté the vegetables over high heat. If you're worried they'll burn before they're done, then thaw the peas beforehand and cook over medium heat. Before combining the vegetables with the pasta, taste for salt—the anchovies themselves are salty, so I add only black pepper, but you may want a little extra salt.