• Rinse the rapini well and trim off the tough ends.  Blanch in a large pot of salted, boiling water for 4-5 minutes.  Drain well and set aside to cool slightly. Then give it a rough chop and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook pasta until al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water for the sauce, if needed.
• While the pasta is cooking heat olive oil in a large skillet and add minced garlic. Add chopped anchovy fillets and stir. Use the back of the spoon to crush the anchovy fillets. They will practically dissolve the oil-garlic mixture.  Add a pinch or red pepper flakes, if using.
• Add the reserved chopped rapini and stir to coat in the garlic-anchovy oil.  Stir in the cooked pasta and toss to combine well with the rapini. Top with extra olive oil, if needed, and pasta cooking water to help adhere the rapini mixture to the pasta.
• Serve hot topped with crushed almonds.

For the crushed almonds:

• Roast almonds in a 350F preheated oven for about 20 minutes, tossing them occasionally. Let cool, then transfer to mortar and pestle to crush or place in your food processor and pulse a few times.