Barile is a remote little town in Basilicata where, centuries ago, Albanians came and settled – and still have an influence on the language and cooking of the area. Pasqualina and Maria showed us how to make tumact me tulez, which is the dialect phrase for tagliatelle served with a tomato and anchovy sauce. It is finished with a scattering of crunchy, golden breadcrumbs and walnuts instead of cheese, which would have been a luxury addition to an everyday dish. Ideally, use stale country-style or sourdough bread for the breadcrumbs, whizzed in a blender until small but not fine – you want to keep the texture. You can throw these over any other simple pasta dishes, or use to top bakes before grilling. They will keep in an airtight container for up to a week, so it’s worth making extra if you have them.
Ingredients
For the pasta
500 g (1 lb 2 oz/4 cups) finely ground semolina flour
225–250 ml (8–81/2 fl oz/1 cup) water
For the sauce
50 ml (13/4 fl oz/3 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 whole dried chilli pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
60 g (2 oz) anchovies, drained weight
a glass of white wine (about 125 ml/ 4 fl oz/ 1/2 cup)
400 g (14 oz) tin whole tomatoes, broken up using the back of a spoon
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) tomato passata (sieved tomatoes)
25 g (3/4 oz) fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt (but taste first, remembering the anchovies can be quite salty)
For the breadcrumb dressing
1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
100 g (31/2 oz) breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
50 g (2 oz) finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
