Bigoli with anchovies

Serves 4
200 g durum wheat semolina
200 g Italian '00' flour
300 ml lukewarm water
For the sauce
Oil
Butter
1 onion or 5 shallots
8 salt-packed anchovies
Parsley
1 garlic clove
White wine
Pepper, and salt if needed

I mixed the two flours in a bowl and added the water gradually. You may need less or more, depending on how much the flour absorbs.

Once it begins to come together, I turn it onto the work surface and knead vigorously until smooth and elastic but fairly firm.

I cover with cling film and rest for at least half an hour.

Without a bigoli press, I could roll out the dough, cut strips half a centimetre wide and roll them. Instead, I experimented with a meat mincer without its blades. The dough must be fairly firm.
I cut off a piece, roll it into a sausage and dust thoroughly with durum wheat flour.

I insert it into the mincer tube and push with the plunger.

Important: dust the emerging bigoli with flour as you go, trying to separate them.

I place them on the work surface, gently separate and flour them, then transfer to a tray covered with a floured tea towel. I let them dry while making the sauce.

THE SAUCE
I clean the anchovies under running water, removing the backbone to obtain fillets, which I wash thoroughly. See the method in the blog recipe ‘Anchovies in oil’.

I peel and thinly slice the shallots or onions.

In a wide frying pan, I heat plenty of oil with a large knob of butter and add a garlic clove, which I remove later.

I add the shallots and let them soften, then add the anchovies and let them dissolve.

I deglaze with white wine.

I add a handful of chopped parsley, freshly ground pepper and a splash of water. The sauce should remain fairly runny. I check the salt; remember that the pasta dough is unsalted.

I bring salted water to the boil and add the bigoli. As soon as they float, I drain them into the sauce and toss to coat thoroughly.
I plate up with a drizzle of oil.