My Sicilian-born (Piana dei Greci, now Piana degli Albanesi) paternal grandmother’s recipe for Milanese (aka Anchovy Sauce)…a Sicilian dish (this is the Americanized version below). My dad used to make this for the family, and I make it for mine. As kids, they both ate it and loved it. Now, my adult daughter and I share the same passion for it.
Recipe submitted by Anthony Salerno
Milanese (Anchovy Sauce) – A Sicilian dish
Course: SauceDifficulty: Easy4
servings25
minutesIngredients
Anchovy fillets 2 cans
Tomato Paste 1 can (6oz)
Water 2 cans using the tomato paste can
Garlic cloves 10
Breadcrumbs
Pasta 1 lb
Directions
- Saute / lightly brown the garlic in the oil from the anchovies. Add one can of tomato paste and two cans of water. After about 10 minutes, add the anchovies. No need to mash the anchovies, they dissolve in the sauce; simmer for about an hour total. The earlier in the day you make the sauce, the more flavorful it is at dinner time (I personally prefer leftovers a few days later).
- Lightly brown some bread crumbs in a frying pan with only a drop of oil. Careful, the breadcrumbs burn easily, so use a low flame and stir constantly until golden brown. Takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Cook the macaroni al dente.
- Mix sauce (not “gravy”) and macaroni (not “pasta”). Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. No cheese in this dish at all!
Mangia! And enjoy!
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