Place the capers in a small bowl of water for a few minutes, drain, then lightly crush them with the back of a fork and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat for the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the crushed garlic until golden, then remove and discard the garlic.
Add the halved tomatoes, anchovy paste (if using), chopped olives and crushed capers to the saucepan; simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If the sauce becomes too dry, add a few tablespoons of hot pasta water from the boiling pot to loosen it.
Season the sauce with the 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and add salt to taste; turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
When the pasta water is boiling, season it with salt, add the spaghetti, and cook according to package directions until al dente; reserve a little pasta water, then drain.
Transfer the drained pasta to the saucepan with the sauce, toss well to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
