A nice and hearty dish. It's very simple and delicious. Great way to use leftover or stale bread.
Author: Peony
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
3 cups of bread, cut into small cubes
3 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, torn
1 tsp garlic powder
1 pound dry spagetti
3 ounces spicy salami(like Hungarian or Genoa), diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
⅓ cup black kalamata olives
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling
parsley for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix melted butter/olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme and salt until garlic powder is dissolved.
Toss butter mixture with cubed bread in a medium bowl until cubes are evenly coated.
Spread coated bread cubes on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Stir the croutons and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
Remove when they are crisp & golden brown.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil+red pepper flakes in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the pepper flakes are sizzling, about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium, add the salami+pepper and sautee for about 3-5 minutes.
Add the breadcrumbs+olives+garlic and stir for 1 minute to combine.
Remove from the heat.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions until al dente.
Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Immediately return the pasta to the pot over medium-low heat.
Add the grated parmesan+1/2 the breadcrumb mixture and toss to combine. If necessary, add some of the reserved cooking water to moisten.
Season to taste with salt & freshly ground pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining breadcrumbs+parsley.
Notes
Be careful not to burn the croutons. Use my timeline simply as a suggestion because every oven is different.
Recipe by The Peony Life at http://thepeonylife.com/2015/08/rustic-pasta-with-fresh-bread-crumbs/