Spaghetti with Spicy Breadcrumbs

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Begin to caramelize the onions by melting the butter in a medium sized skillet over low (very low) heat.

3. Add the onions. Add a pinch of kosher salt and cover the skillet. Let the onions cook with the lid on, for about 5 minutes.

4. Add sugar to the onions and stir frequently for another 10-15 minutes or until onions are really dark in color.

5. Check your pot of water around now to see if it’s boiling. If it is, salt the water generously and plop your spaghetti in. On a side note, any other pasta shape would be just as lovely in this dish. Set your timer for the al dente time listed on the package.

6. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan of onions and use the additional liquid to get up some of the brown bits in the pan. Cook for 5 more minutes—the onions will make almost a jam-like texture. Set aside.

7. Take the day old bread and tear it into smaller pieces.

8. Put bread in the blender/food processor and pulse until completely broken down into crumbs. If you are using a blender, I highly recommend using the tamper to push down the pieces of bread into the blade.

9. Remove the onions from the skillet and set them aside. Heat half of the olive oil in the same skillet. Keep the flame at a very low heat. Add in your raw breadcrumbs after about 30 seconds of letting the oil heat. Stir the breadcrumbs in the olive oil to completely coat them.

10. Don’t stop stirring! These will quickly start to toast. Just keep them moving to get a consistent color throughout the batch. Add a pinch of salt once they are golden brown all over. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

11. Before you drain your pasta when it’s al dente and ready to go, take a mug and remove some of the cooking liquid. Set aside. This will be quite important later, when we are mixing everything together. Then you can drain your pasta and set it aside.

12. In the same skillet used for the breadcrumbs add the remaining half of the olive oil and let it come to temperature over very low heat for about 15 seconds. Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies.

13. Using your spoon, smash the anchovies into the pan to break them down. Make sure they are fully infused into the oil. After cooking for approximately 2 minutes, turn off the heat. Strain the oil to remove garlic and anchovy pieces and set the oil aside.

14. In a medium mixing bowl, mix all of the components with your pasta. Play around with what you want more and less of—breadcrumbs, caramelized onions, garlic and anchovy oil, parsley and your reserved pasta cooking liquid (add water one tablespoon at a time, until the texture of the pasta is mixed together and bound together).

15. When serving, just for me, sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt on the top.