Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound spaghettini or spaghetti
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 anchovy fillets
- ¼ cup drained capers
- 1 cup pitted and sliced green Cerignola or Picholine olives
- 10 fat green garlic cloves, peeled, sliced
- ¼-inch thick or use 8 regular garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions including greens
- ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes 1
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves (11 ounces)
- ½ cup torn basil leaves
Steps
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is not quite al dente, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, warm ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the anchovies and capers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the capers start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ cup oil, olives, garlic, scallions and red-pepper flakes; increase heat to high if using green garlic (leave it at medium-high for regular garlic) and cook until garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Add a splash of pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Season with salt, if necessary. Toss in the basil leaves.