Spaghetti with Tomato and Green Beans (4-6)
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Warm the oil in a pan over a medium heat and gently fry the sliced garlic until it starts to colour at the edges. Add the tomatoes, season well and leave to simmer briskly for 20-25 minutes, adding a little water if it threatens to catch at the bottom of the pan.
  2. Meanwhile, make the breadcrumbs. Warm the oil and the whole, peeled garlic cloves in a small frying pan over a low heat. After about five minutes, the garlic should be golden and soft and the oil should smell fragrant. Add the chilli flakes, cook for another minute, then turn the heat up to medium and add the breadcrumbs.
  3. Season generously, and fry, stirring all the while, for several minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest. Check the seasoning and set aside (you can leave the garlic in or take it out – whichever you prefer).
  4. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the beans for three to four minutes, or until tender. Scoop the beans out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drop them straight into the tomato sauce.
  5. Bring the water back up to a boil, then add the spaghetti. While the spaghetti is cooking, stir the beans into the sauce, still over the heat, adding a ladleful of pasta water to loosen the sauce.
  6. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain through a sieve, keeping a cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the beans and stir well. Set aside for a few minutes, then stir again, adding a few splashes of cooking water, again to loosen the sauce.
  7. Shred or rip the basil leaves into the sauce, transfer to heated plates and scatter over the breadcrumbs. Drizzle over the last tablespoon of oil and serve at once.