Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a traditional Italian pasta from Naples thats quick to put together from pantry staples.
Its a stellar emergency meal everyone should know, with a saucy backstory of its own!
Puttanesca roughly translates to working girls in Italian (thats a politically correct term Im using there!)
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Does this kind of talk on a G-rated food blog make you blush?
Whatever the origins, today this is considered a classic and staple Italian pasta recipe.
Oh, also,anchovies the secret why is this simple sauce so good?
If you skip it, the sauce isnt quite as good!
Black olives give a shot to use good quality, fresh olives from the deli.
Both pitted and unpitted are fine but pitting your own is best.
Anchovies This adds savoury flavour and salt to the sauce without leaving it fishy-tasting.
In fact, youd have to have a highly attuned palate to be able to taste it at all.
Spaghetti Traditionally made with spaghetti or vermicelli pasta (ie.
the thinner spaghetti), though this recipe works just fine with any long pasta.
Or short, for that matter!
Tomatoes Not all canned tomatoes are created equal!
Better ones are sweeter and break down better to create a sauce.
Capers Adds little pops of briny goodness and that unique caper flavour to the sauce.
I usually use standard size capers.
On occasion, I find they can begiantin size so Ill reach for the baby capers instead.
Garlic Because this is Italian food!
Chilli flakes(aka red pepper flakes) A pinch of heat is wonderful in this sauce.
Its not a spicy sauce, here its just a background hum of warmth.
Extra virgin olive oil For cooking and finishing.
But if you dont have them, it is absolutely still worth making using a pinch of dried oregano.
Dont bother with dried basil, its basically flavourless.
If you dont have basil, serve with a sprinkle of parmesan instead.
The extra flavour will compensate for absence of fresh herb flavour.
Theyll both finish at the same time, ready to toss together!
This recipe serves 2.
This sauteing step is key to the flavour of the sauce.
Add everything else into sauce Add the can of tomatoes, then add water by rinsing out the can.
In goes salt, pepper and fresh or dried oregano, then give it a good stir.
Cook pasta Cook the pasta in salted water.
We add a splash into the pasta sauce when tossing with the pasta.
Starch thats left in the cooking water helps emulsify the fats and water in the sauce.
This has a thickening effect and also discourages the sauce from separating.
Youll see this step in everypasta recipeon my website.
And every household in Italy makes pasta this way!
I rarely measure, I just eyeball it.
The pasta is ready when the sauce is all stuck to the pasta rather than sitting in the skillet.
This will resurrect the pasta and makes it juicy again.
Sprinkle with basiland serve immediately!
It is never the same reheated.
Its worth the small effort, especially in winter!
What to serve with Puttanesca pasta
Parmesan?
But I wont stop you if thats how you want to roll.
Its also technically 95% vegetables anyway!
Sitting up straight, chest puffed out.
(Certainly not me!)
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