Pasta with Olives, Garlic, and Herbs

Made in Italy with the very best local olives and extra-virgin olive oil, this simple dish can be superb. But how good can it get with ingredients from the supermarket?

YIELD 4 to 6

TIME 55 minutes

Why This Recipe Works

Gather Your Ingredients

Key Equipment

Key Equipment - Food Processors
Key Equipment - Dutch Ovens

Before You Begin

*

For a milder olive flavor, use manzanilla olives in place of kalamata. Be sure to rinse the pitted olives before chopping them to remove excess salt. In addition to mezze rigatoni or farfalle, any short, tubular, or molded pasta will work well.

Instructions

1.

Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon garlic, anchovies, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in medium bowl. Set aside.

2.

Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about 16 one-second pulses. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in remaining tablespoon garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant and bread crumbs are dark golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to plate to cool. Wipe out skillet with paper towels.

3.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add rigatoni and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. While pasta is cooking, return now-empty skillet to medium heat and add olive mixture. Cook until olive mixture is aromatic and oil has turned rusty red, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove 3/4 cup pasta cooking water from pot and add to skillet. Bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat while pasta finishes cooking.

4.

When pasta is just shy of al dente, drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, and transfer back to Dutch oven. Add olive mixture to pasta and toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs most of liquid, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Adjust consistency of sauce with reserved pasta water. (Sauce should cling to pasta but not be too loose or runny.) Remove pot from heat and stir in parsley and basil; adjust seasoning with pepper. Serve, passing lemon wedges, remaining Parmesan, and bread crumbs separately.

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