Pasta with Anchovies and Arugula

Happy Monday, guys. Hope everyone's weekends were wonderful. I stayed in the city and had a fun, relaxing few days filled with lots of cooking, good food (including the divine chicken soup at Fred's, the restaurant on the 9th floor of Barneys), friends, a bit of shopping, and one screening of The Help, which I loved. In between all that, I made spaghetti. Not exactly surprising, I know. But trust me, you should really try this one out. It takes about 15 minutes to make, and it's packed to the brim with healthy dark arugula, which kind of negates the whole "carb" thing, in my opinion. Also, it's got melted anchovies, which gives it a kick of umami, and some seriously delicious, crunchy bread crumbs going for it. It's a new favorite of mine. The recipe below serves 4. xo

Pasta with Anchovies and Arugula
Adapted from the New York Times, by Mark Bittman
Ingredients:
Sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
8 anchovy fillets, or more to taste, with some of their oil
1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups baby arugula
1/2 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it heavily.

Put the oil in a deep skillet, and turn heat to medium low. A minute later, add the garlic, and then the anchovies and red pepper flakes. When the garlic sizzles and the anchovies break up, turn the heat to its lowest setting.

Cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, and drain. Add pasta to skillet, along with enough reserved cooking water to make a sauce. Off the heat, combine the pasta with the greens. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.