Sucareddi Alla Crema di Limone with Herb-Infused Breadcrumbs

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 50 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes

Special Equipment:

wooden board for pasta making
kitchen scale
microplane to grate lemon zest

Ingredients

For the pasta dough: 
400 grams (about 3¼ cup) semolina rimacinata flour (finely ground durum wheat flour)
160-200 grams (about ⅔-¾ cup) lukewarm water

For the breadcrumb topping:
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs, toasted 
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt (if breadcrumbs are salted, reduce)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the lemon anchovy sauce:
4 medium-sized garlic cloves, whole
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh red chili pepper (you can sub for dried chili pepper), chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 fillets of Sicilian (or Cantabrian) anchovies
2 medium-sized lemons (preferably certified organic) freshly squeezed
7 tablespoons full-fat, salted butter
Sea salt, to taste

To serve: 
4 tablespoons, toasted infused herbs breadcrumbs
lemon zest, to taste (zest before juicing the lemon)
⅓ cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Method

To make the pasta dough:

Mix together the semolina flour and lukewarm water until a shaggy dough forms. Knead for 10 to 15 mins until you have a smooth, soft dough ball. Let it rest, covered in plastic wrap, for 20 minutes. (see semolina dough guide)

After the resting time, cut a small part of your pasta dough and put the rest into a ceramic bowl, covered, to prevent it from drying out. Start to roll the dough ball into a very long rope (starting from the center up until the edges of the dough) until you reach a diameter a little bigger than ⅛-inch (it should look like a long and thick spaghetti). Pro tip: wet your hands with a few dabs of good quality extra virgin olive oil. This will help provide some traction when rolling.

Cut the long and thick spaghetti into strips about 1-foot long. Get a tray, cover it with a cloth and add some semolina flour. Place your finished Sucareddi on the tray, leaving a bit of space between each one to prevent them from sticking to one another.

NOTE: Keep in mind that they will swell a bit while they cook, so don’t make them too thick. The cooking time depends on how thick you have made them!

To make the breadcrumb topping:

In a small pan, heat extra virgin olive oil on low and add breadcrumbs. Toast on low, stirring with a spatula, for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Once the breadcrumbs are toasted, add finely chopped garlic and parsley and keep stirring for a couple of minutes. Set aside.

For the lemon anchovy sauce: 

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the Sucareddi pasta. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan add the garlic, olive oil, anchovy fillets, and chili pepper. Cook on medium heat and stir until the fillets have disintegrated for about 2 to 3 minutes. 

Drain the Sucareddi from the salted boiling water (I usually cook them for about 2 minutes) and add them into the saucepan together with a ladle or two of pasta water. Add the lemon juice and butter and stir.

Toss together on low heat for about a minute, until the fresh pasta is fully cooked and the sauce is creamy. Add fresh parsley and half a cup of the breadcrumb topping.

Serve the pasta in a large serving dish topped with the remaining breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and almonds.

*Remember that the tossing process is the most important part to create a creamy pasta sauce as you will need to allow the cooking water and the pasta starch to dilute and blend together. Add extra EVOO during the tossing process if needed.

Storage‌ ‌Suggestions‌

There are two ways to store your Sucareddi:

• Freezer: You can freeze them, but I would suggest letting them dry a bit first. Arrange the pasta in a single layer on a tray and then freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Once frozen, you can put them in small storage bags and keep them stored in the freezer for a few months. To use, just cook them directly into boiling water. (No need to defrost.)
• Fridge: Cook them for about 1 minute, drain and place them in a container with a bit of olive oil before adding them to the fridge. Remember to let them cool down before placing them in the fridge.