If you want to give more body to your macaroni sauce, you could add a teaspoon of cream to the butter and melt in a saucepan before transferring the mixture to the bowl with the anchovies and capers. And again, if you like the pairing of butter and anchovies, you could use it as a topping for bruschetta which you might serve as a finger-food hors d’oeuvre at a dinner party with friends.

The combination of butter and anchovies is strongly rooted in the Roman culinary tradition, and is still served in many restaurants and osterias of the capital. A sandwich, pizza or plate of macaroni with butter and anchovies is the essence of Roman cuisine. A final note of interest: the combination of butter and anchovies was much loved and praised by the famous Roman poet Trilussa.