One of the gastronomic wonders of Cetara, a beautiful village on the Amalfi Coast, is the anchovy extract that captures all the fragrance and flavor of the sea. “Anchovy extract is obtained from the maceration of anchovies in a solution of water and salt. It is a transparent liquid sauce with an amber color” (source Wikipedia). It is very simple and quick to use; just prepare a mixture of parsley, garlic, chili pepper, and extra virgin olive oil to which the extract is added, and a simple plate of spaghetti becomes a wonderful experience. I recommend using a rough pasta so that the fragrant sauce does not slip away. Anchovy extract can be tasted or purchased directly in the small shops of Cetara or in well-stocked supermarkets.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Anchovy extract of Cetara
- 8 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove Minced garlic
- to taste Minced parsley
- to taste Minced chili pepper
- 9 oz Rough spaghetti
Preparation
1) Boil the water for the pasta and remember not to add any salt since the extract is very salty.
2) Meanwhile, prepare the spiced sauce. Finely chop the parsley, chili pepper, and garlic together and place them in a large bowl.
Add the extra virgin olive oil and the anchovy extract (calculate 1 tablespoon of extract and 2 of extra virgin olive oil per person) and mix all ingredients and let it infuse. The spiced sauce with the extract can be prepared well in advance.
3) Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and mix it well with the sauce so that the pasta absorbs the flavor and fragrance of the anchovy extract. That’s it! Your plate of spaghetti with extract is ready to be enjoyed in all its fragrance.
Extra idea. We can, of course, personalize this extraordinary dish according to our tastes. For example, we can add a fresh note to the dish with some very finely grated lemon zest to mix directly into the spiced sauce, or we can add some fresh cherry tomato fillets.
Notes
For a lighter version of the dish, we can replace 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with two generous tablespoons of pasta cooking water.
