St. Joseph's Day Pasta: Lasagnette del San Giuseppe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups unseasoned fresh bread crumbs
• 8 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce, recipe follows or store-bought
• 6 to 8 basil leaves, torn to shreds
• 1 pound lasagnette or 1 1/4-inch-wide papardelle

Directions

In a small frying pan over medium heat, gently toast the almonds in a teaspoon of olive oil until they are golden brown. Remove almonds to a cutting board and finely chop. In the oil remaining in the pan, toast bread crumbs until golden brown and crisp. Combine bread crumbs with almonds in a small bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Over medium-low heat, stir in anchovies and crush into oil with a fork. Transfer the anchovies and oil to the bowl with the bread crumbs, and season with lots of black pepper. Set aside.

Pour the remaining oil into the frying pan, over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until soft, but not brown. Add tomato sauce and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until just long enough to combine flavors. Add basil and set aside.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, drop in pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Drain and dress with tomato sauce and half of bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over top and serve immediately.

Basic Tomato Sauce:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
• 1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
• 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
• Salt

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Yield: 4 cups