Pepper and Anchovy Pasta Sauce

The sauce, unmistakably Apulian, is one that the companion my mother had in her last years—Romana, a woman who emigrated to my hometown from Bari—prepared when her charge used to yearn for something savory.

I have brought to it some small Marcella touches: I peel the peppers raw because that makes them even sweeter, and I slice the garlic cloves very thin rather than smashing them because that releases a gentler scent. Avoid strong, direct heat, which would make it