Step 1

Start boiling water for the spaghetti. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.

Step 2

Meanwhile prepare the ingredients. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel, de-seed and chop the tomatoes. If anchovies and capers are salted rinse them under cold water. Then cut anchovies into small pieces. If they are large, remove the spine. Remove the seeds from the red chili pepper (if you are using it)  and cut into small pieces.

Step 3

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan large enough to hold the cooked pasta later. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes (peperoncino).

Step 4

Cook over a medium heat until garlic is very lightly golden and the anchovies have melted, about 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as necessary to keep it gently sizzling.)

Step 5

Add capers, a bit of parsley and olives and stir to combine.

Step 6

Add the peeled and chopped tomatoes, stir and bring to a bare simmer.

Step 7

Cook pasta to just under al dente (about 1 minute less than the package recommends).

Step 8

Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

Step 9

Add drained pasta to the sauce.

Step 10

Add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water  and increase the heat to bring the pasta and sauce to a vigorous simmer.

Step 11

Cook, stirring and shaking the pan and adding more pasta water as necessary to keep sauce a little liquidy until pasta is perfectly al dente.

Step 12

Sprinkle with some more parsley.

Step 13

Season with salt and pepper as required.

Step 14

Serve immediately.