Puttanesca Pasta

Submitted by Daydream

"This southern Italian pasta sauce, with its warm, spicy, robust flavor, conjures up the warmth of the Mediterranean. In Italian fokelore, it was served by 'the ladies of the night' to seduce their gentlemen friends into their arms! There are many recipes for Puttanesca sauce. This is my favourite. Do not be put off by the amount of anchovies. My 20 year old son, who refuses to eat pizza with anchovies (because he detests them!), loves this dish. Buon appetito!"

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup cold-pressed virgin olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 fresh chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - more or less, to taste)
• 2 -4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 ounces flat anchovy fillets, drained and pounded in mortar and pestle (canned in oil)
• 2 -3 fresh ripe roma tomatoes, peeled,seeded,and roughly chopped (Italian plum)
• 1⁄2 cup sun-dried tomato packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 1⁄2 cup sliced seeded black olives (Kalamata olives are ideal)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1⁄4 cup finely chopped parsley
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lb freshly cooked spaghetti (I like spaghettini)
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated

directions

1. Heat olive oil over a low to moderate flame.
2. Gently saute red pepper, chile, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes.
3. Add pounded anchovies to pan with both the fresh and sun-dried tomatoes and saute a few minutes until anchovies melt.
4. Add olives and capers, and stir gently until heated through.
5. When done, add parsley, and gently mix through sauce.
6. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.
7. Do not add salt!
8. Toss immediately with hot, freshly cooked spaghetti, pass the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and serve with a fresh green salad (and a good Coonawarra red!).

Reviews

[JustJanS]

This was good and easy, we would just enjoy a bit more sauce. I think next time I would use a 440g can peeled tomatoes to get that extra sauce. Lots of our favourite flavours in this though. Thanks.

 

[TxTeacher]

Loved it! I didn't have any anchovies so I omitted them and used chicken instead. I'll try adding them in next time. I didn't find it spicy at all but that may be because I'm not sensitive to spice. This made for a delicious but light dinner with a bunch of my favorite flavors.

 

[Debbie Smith]

Excellent! I really don't like anchovies and avoid them like the plague. Yet, this recipe called out my name. It's flavours are intense and tasty. I look forward to making it again. (My son and husband look forward to it too.)

 

[Glutton]

The history behind this dish makes me blush and giggle, but it is quite tasty. I added sausage and shrimp to mine; half I ate with pasta, the other half I used for my French Bread Pizza! Thanks!

 

[Marla Swoffer]

Simple and flavorful. Instead of fresh ones, I used one 14oz can of diced tomatoes. I also didn't mash the anchovies--they dissolved as I stirred them in the pan. I subbed chopped artichoke hearts for the bell pepper, and I omitted the parsley. I used whole, pitted kalamata olives. My husband loved this but thought it a touch salty--next time I'll use half as many anchovies. This is a flexible/versatile recipe (the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and chili pepper are the essentials) and definitely will become a regular feature in our house.