Photo: Pasta Puttanesca Recipe
This sauce is named for ladies of the night. They would place pots of it in their windows to tempt men into the bordellos. I like it because it's spicy, fast and easy (no disrespect to the ladies).
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
- 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers
- 1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- A few grinds black pepper
- 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)
- Crusty bread, for mopping
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional
Directions
Serving suggestions: a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper, recipe follows
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.
Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Cook's Note: Get your olives from the bulk bins in the market, rather than buying a jar. The unit price is always much less per pound and you can get just what you need for each recipe.
Bitter Greens Salad:
- 4 cups (about 2 bundles) arugula leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups (about 1 bundle) watercress leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 head Radicchio lettuce, coarsely chopped
- 1 large lemon
- Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat, 2 to 3 tablespoons
- Coarse salt and black pepper
- Oil cured black olives, for garnish, optional
Combine greens in a salad bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the bowl. Drizzle salad liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Toss salad and season salad with salt and pepper. Arrange salad on plates. Garnish plates with black olives, if using.
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By kristin918_13084750
minneapolis, 63
on April 02, 2013
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Yumo! I added a dash of balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, and a few shakes of Italian seasoning after tasting the original mixing. Turned out great! I found 1 lb of pasta to be way too much... I ended up using about 3/4 lb. I froze the leftovers and they reheated nicely. I actually preferred the leftovers as the flavors had a chance to melt.
On a side note, if you are not a fan of anchovies, they are not noticeable in the final product. However, when sauteing the anchovies and garlic... your house will smell like just that. If you don't like the smell, I suggest cooking on a nice day when you can open the windows. Anchovies are very fragrant.
By marina1956
on March 29, 2013
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I love this recipe. I spice it up a bit more with the crushed red pepper and add a half a pound of calamari for the last 2 minutes to add a bit more protein. Makes for a great combination!
By hjmwilson_2470720
Fort Worth, TX
on February 04, 2013
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Love this recipe, even the kids love it. When Rachael did this on her show she roasted Roma tomatoes. It really adds another dimension to this terrific dish. Just cut the tomatoes in half drizzle with Olive Oil, put in 275 degree oven, turn over after 30 min. & roast another 30 min.
Read all 135 reviews