For Spelt Spaghetti With Olives and Anchovies, the amount of pesto-like sauce you’re making here is so scant that you really do need a stick blender.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces spelt spaghetti or other spaghetti
salt for pasta water (to taste)
10 pitted green olives
10 anchovy fillets from a can or jar (drained)
1 clove garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 tablespoons pinenuts
leaves from 1 small (approx. 1oz) bunch Italian parsley
zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
¼ cup olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When the pan comes to the boil, salt the water generously, or to taste, and add the pasta; my spelt spaghetti needs 8-9 minutes, so I set the timer for 7 and start testing for doneness then.
To make the sauce, put the olives, anchovies, garlic, pinenuts, parsley, lemon zest and juice and olive oil in a small bowl and blitz with a stick blender (or in your mini processor bowl). Don’t worry about the odd unmashed pinenut (or olive); indeed, they are rather appealing.
Just before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of starchy cooking water and immediately add 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl of sauce, then give another brief blitz to combine those last ingredients.
Tip the drained pasta back into its pan, then pour and scrape the sauce on top and toss to mix, adding more of the cooking liquid if you feel you need the sauce to be looser.
Season to taste — you may want pepper or more lemon juice, but I can’t see salt being necessary — then toss again and turn out onto a warm serving dish or divide between 2 plates or bowls.
