This pasta reminds me of summertime, with its lovely scent of orange and mint. It’s a recipe that can only be made in small portions, so don’t try to increase the measures in this recipe. It’s my friend Makana’s favorite pasta, and I made it for his birthday just a few weeks ago.
Ingredients
- 400 grams of spaghetti or linguine
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- Approximately 200 grams (0.4 pounds) of chopped anchovies, preferably the anchovies preserved in salt
- The pulp from 2 oranges – no seeds, peel, or pith. The best tool for this task is a grapefruit segmenter tool, because it allows you to obtain the fruit without any of the skin around it. I personally use a special citrus knife, but found this great little tool online: the Zyliss Twist & Scoop Grapefruit tool – https://www.zyliss.com/store/products/zyliss-twist-scoop-grapefruit-tool-e910033u.htm
- 1 handful of freshly chopped mint, minced
- 1 handful of plain breadcrumbs (please avoid those with “Italian spices”)
- ¼ cup Cointreau
Preparation
- Prep all of your ingredients so that you can work quickly.
- While you are cooking the spaghetti or linguine, start cooking the sauce.
- Pour ½ cup of extra virgin Italian olive oil into a skillet and add the smashed garlic clove. On medium heat, gently sauté the garlic until it becomes golden and remove it from the skillet.
- Add the chopped anchovy filets to the skillet for about 2 minutes, the anchovy will dissolve into a fine creamy texture in the oil.
- Add the orange slices, mixing them well with the olive oil and anchovy.
- Add the breadcrumbs and Cointreau, continuing to mix with a wooden spoon. The texture of the sauce should be creamy. As soon as the sauce turns from liquid begins to thick/creamy, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Pour the sauce into a large bowl, then add the pasta. Add the minced mint to the bowl, and gently combine all the ingredients.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Italiano: Spaghetti in salsa d’arancio (meglio pasta d’Italia 2000)
Per 4 persone, 400g di spaghetti o linguine
- 120 ml. di olio d’oliva
- 1 spicchio d’aglio schiacciato
- Circa 200 g di alici sotto sale, sciacquate e da cui avrete rimosso la spina centrale, a pezzettini.
- 2 arance –polpa solo, niente semi niente buccia o bianco
- 1 pugno di menta tritata
- 1 pugno di pane grattugiato
- 60 ml Cointreau
Preparazione
- Soffriggere aglio nell’olio, toglierlo come diventa dorato.
- Aggiungere i filetti di alici tritate, fuoco medio alto, circa 2 minuti.
- Appena diventano una crema aggiungere le arance a pezzetti, mischiare e aggiungere il pan grattato e il Cointreau (per carità, non usate il Gran Marnier!).
- Appena il liquido si ritira e il tutto è una crema, ma ancora un po’ liquida non completamente asciutta, spegnere e rimuovere la padella dal fornello caldo.
- Mischiare la pasta in questo ben di Dio aggiungere la menta a pezzettini e buon appetito