Pasta con la mollica

I’ll be happy to help you prepare Pasta con la mollica, a simple and tasty dish from Southern Italian cuisine, especially from the Sicilian and Calabrian tradition. This recipe turns simple ingredients into a dish full of flavor.

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini)
• 100 g of breadcrumbs (preferably stale)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil as needed
• Chili pepper flakes as needed
• Salt as needed
• A bunch of chopped parsley (optional)
• Salted or oil anchovies (optional)
• Salted capers (optional)

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente, following the timings on the package.
2. In the meantime, crumble the breadcrumbs until they have a coarse consistency.
3. In a wide pan, heat a generous swirl of extra virgin olive oil and add the peeled and slightly crushed garlic cloves (you could also add anchovies and capers at this point if you’re using them).
4. Once the garlic is golden, remove it from the pan and add the breadcrumbs. Toast the breadcrumbs over medium heat, stirring often, until they become crunchy and golden (be careful not to burn them).
5. Add the chili pepper flakes to taste and mix everything together.
6. Drain the pasta al dente and transfer it to the pan with the breadcrumbs. Mix well to evenly coat the pasta. If necessary, you can add a ladle of cooking water to make it creamier.
7. If desired, add some fresh chopped parsley and mix again.
8. Plate and serve immediately, with a drizzle of raw olive oil if you like.

Curiosity

Pasta con la mollica is a perfect example of “cucina povera,” which uses basic and accessible ingredients to create substantial and nutritious dishes. This simple meal was often the lunch of workers and peasants who needed energy for the whole day’s work.