Bigoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Anchovies, Breadcrumbs and Marinated Black Olives

A first course with a strong taste, which brings with it the distinctive flavors of the Mediterranean. This dish represents a creative reinterpretation of a classic of the Calabrian tradition, combining the characteristic spicy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes with the salty of anchovies, the intense slightly bitter flavor of olives and the crunchy note of toasted bread crumbs. The inspiration for this dish comes from a traditional Calabrian first course, originally prepared with simple ingredients from peasant cuisine, such as garlic, anchovies, chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and bread crumbs. The pasta traditionally used for this dish was the "stroncatura" or "struncatura", a type of bronze-drawn pasta with a rough surface, usually prepared with wholemeal flour and durum wheat. This particular shape of pasta, unfortunately, is no longer produced as it was obtained from the external part of the grain, the bran, which was discarded during the milling process. Although some pasta factories in the Reggio Calabria area produce a similar pasta, complying with current hygiene regulations, the original format has been prohibited due to its unhygienic production practices. As an alternative, I opted for bigoli, a long pasta shape typical of the Venetian tradition, made with soft wheat flour, water and salt. Now let's see what we need to make our Bigoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Anchovies, Breadcrumbs and Marinated Black Olives. Ingredients 500 grams of fresh Bigoli from Veneto 7 anchovies in oil 1 clove of garlic 1 chilli pepper to taste 80 grams of sun-dried tomatoes Marinated Black Olives extra virgin olive oil stale bread to taste Preparation Remove excess oil from dried tomatoes using a sheet of paper towels and cut them into strips. Remove the crust from the piece of bread and coarsely break up the crumb. In a large pan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add a clove of garlic and chilli, then fry. Once golden, remove the garlic and chilli pepper and add the anchovies, melting them over low heat. We also add the dried tomatoes in strips and the Marinated Black Olives. In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the bigoli for the time indicated on the package, draining them al dente and keeping a few ladles of cooking water. Add the bigoli to the previously prepared sauce, adding a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water to flavor. Mix the bread crumbs with a teaspoon of salt and a little black pepper. In a pan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic, frying. When the garlic is golden, remove it and add the breadcrumbs, stirring well to prevent burning. Keep the heat low to prevent the bread from burning easily. Bake until the bread is golden brown. Plate and serve the dish with a generous dose of bread crumbs on top. Our Bigoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Anchovies, Breadcrumbs and Marinated Black Olives are ready to be enjoyed.