Pissaladière Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus 1 tablespoon
• 3 yellow onions, sliced into paper-thin half moons
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 stems thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound multigrain spaghetti
• 1/4 cup Niçoise olives, finely chopped

Directions

1. Set a big pot of water to boil, salting it generously. While that gets started, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a sauté pan.
2. In go the onions, followed by the anchovy, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add a light sprinkle of salt, then keep the mixture cooking at medium, stirring often, until the onions are caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Pull out the thyme stems and bay leaf, and toss them.
3. At the same time, cook the pasta until it reaches al dente. Save the pasta water before draining.
4. Turn the pasta with the rest of the butter and olive oil, then mix in the onion mixture. Splash in the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen everything up. Finish by scattering on chopped olives, lemon zest, and a few fresh thyme leaves.