Pasta Pangrattato, also known as spaghetti with toasted breadcrumbs, is a delicious Italian recipe that uses simple ingredients to create a dish that is greater than the sum of it's parts. Join Eric from Simply Elegant Home Cooking as he demonstrates his own unique take on this classic dish. There is so much to love about this dish! It combines a variety of textures, from the silkiness of the garlic and oil sauce, to the crunchiness of the toasted breadcrumbs! There is also a tremendous depth of flavors! From the spiciness of the sopressata, to the fresh citrus flavor of the lemon. This delicious spaghetti is completed with the finishing touch of some fresh basil and the best quality parmigiano reggiano cheese grated on to!

Ingredients:
-1/2 pound spaghetti
-5 cloves garlic
-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-3 pieces day old Italian bread
-6 slices spicy sopressata
-1 lemon
-1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
-3 tablespoons fresh basil
-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-Begin preheating your pasta water.
-Process the Italian bread in a food processor until a fine consistency is achieved.
-Chop the sopressata into a medium sized dice.
-Cut two of the garlic cloves in half.
-Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a cold pan along with the halved garlic cloves. Turn the heat on to medium low.
-Once garlic begins to sizzle, add in the sopressata and stir to incorporate.
-After two minutes more, add in the breadcrumbs and stir again. At this point more fat from the sopressata will have rendered out and will help to flavor the breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
-Cook, stirring often, until the breadcrumbs are deeply browned and crispy, but not burned. Remove the garlic cloves slightly before the breadcrumbs are ready.
-After desired crispiness is achieved, turn off the heat and pour the breadcrumbs and sopressata into a bowl. Zest the lemon onto the mixture and stir to incorporate. Wipe out the pan.
-Thinly slice the rest of the garlic and add it, along with the rest of the olive oil back to the pan. Turn the heat onto medium.
-Add salt to the pasta water which by now should be boiling. Add in the pasta and stir to incorporate.
-Once garlic begins to sizzle, turn down the heat to medium low and continue to stir often. Shortly before the pasta is cooked, the garlic should begin to get slightly brown and crisp around the edges. At this point, add in some of the starchy water from the pasta to stop the cooking of the garlic. Stir vigorously to incorporate and emulsify the garlic and oil sauce. Add in some crushed red pepper flakes if you like extra spice.
-Once pasta is cooked to al dente, reserve a half cup more of the starchy water and drain but do not rinse, and add the pasta into the same pan with the garlic and oil sauce.
-Turn the heat up to medium high and vigorously stir the pasta. After stirring for about 30 seconds, squeeze in the juice from half the lemon and continue stirring.
-After another few moments of stirring, turn off the heat. Grate in some of the parmigiano reggiano and most of the fresh basil.
-Serve in a large pasta bowl, topped with more red and black pepper, more grated cheese, and the toasted breadcrumb mixture. Finally, add on the remaining fresh basil.
-Serve and enjoy!