Tomato Tomatoe

pasta puttanesca

Coming from an Italian background, we grew up eating pasta at least two times a week. If you ask me what my favourite meal is, my answer will always be pasta. There’s so many types of pasta and sauce variations that it’s a meal I will never get sick of. There’s also nothing more comforting to me than a big bowl of pasta. I especially love pantry pastas because you typically have all of the ingredients on hand and the pasta usually comes together in under 30 minutes.

This pasta dish originates from Naples, possibly dating back to the mid-20th century. Some people say that the dish originated in the brothels of the Spanish Quarters, others claims it was invented on the island of Ischia at a restaurant during a late night. The story goes that a group of hungry customers asked the owner who didn’t have many ingredients left to make them something out of whatever ingredients he had.

Despite the origins of exactly where this dish came from, it’s a staple in my recipe repertoire. I always have a tin of anchovies, olives and capers in the fridge and you can always find a can of crushed tomatoes in the pantry. The sauce is pungent and briney from the olives, anchovies and capers. If you aren’t a fan of anchovies, don’t worry, they dissolve into the sauce and you won’t even notice they are there. They add an undeniable umami flavour. If you haven’t tried this pasta you need to make it for your next pasta night as this is an Italian classic. I know it will quickly become one of your favourites.

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pasta puttanesca

Ingredients

• 1 box spaghetti
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 cup Castelvetrano olives, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 4 anchovies, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• pinch of oregano
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• finely chopped parsley to garnish
• freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

Directions

1. Slice the olives in half. Crush the garlic with your knife. Roughly chop the anchovies.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-low heat. Add olive oil and once the pan is hot, add the crushed garlic and anchovies. Let this cook for a few minutes until fragrant. After a few minutes the anchovies should start to dissolve into the olive oil.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, chilli flakes and season with salt. Let this cook on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring periodically so that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil (the water should be salty like the sea). Once the water has boiled, add the pasta and cook for two minutes less than what the package says.
5. While the pasta is cooking, add the capers and olives to the sauce. Continue to cook until the pasta is ready. The sauce should be thick.
6. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta directly to the sauce and add in about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Coat the pasta in the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add more pasta water if needed. Off the heat garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano and freshly chopped parsley.