Pasta Puntanesca is an easy, classic Italian dish. The Puntanesca sauce can also be used on anything from chicken to vegetables to fish.
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2-4 cups | Cooked Pasta (bow-ties, angel hair, etc.) |
| Appx. 1 tbsp. | Olive Oil |
| 1-4 cloves | Garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 14-oz can | Chopped tomatoes |
| 1 handful | kalamata olives, pitted |
| 1 tbsp. | Capers |
| 1-3 | Anchovy filets, diced |
| 1 | Lemon, juiced |
| pinch | Dried chilli flakes to taste |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. |
Directions
Start by heating the olive oil in a non-reactive skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic when the oil starts to shimmer and cook until it softens (30 seconds to 2 minutes); do not burn or it will be bitter.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes, including the juice. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the juice is reduced by 1/3 to 1/2.
While the tomatoes are cooking, take the olives and pit them by lightly smashing them with the side of a knife or bottom of a pot and squirting the pits out.
When the tomatoes are done, add the olives, capers, lemon juice, anchovies and chili flakes and heat through. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and chili flakes as needed; the olives, capers and anchovies are salty so taste before adjusting.
Add cooked and drained pasta to the pan and toss to heat.
Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
Due to the acidity of the tomatoes and lemon juice, cast iron cookware should not be used in this dish.
Pitting the olives, while not strictly necessary, is recommended by four out of five Dentists!
| Meal Type | Ethnicity | Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch Dinner |
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Comments
Surely you meant Puttanesca
Surely you meant Puttanesca (Whore's Spaghetti)
Compliments of Wikipedia: The name originated in Naples after the local prostitutes, Pasta alla Puttanesca meaning "Pasta in the way a whore would make it". The reason why the dish gained such a name is debated. One possibility is that the name is a reference to the sauce's hot, spicy flavour and smell. Another is that the dish was offered to prospective customers at a low price to entice them into a house of ill repute. According to chef Jeff Smith of the Frugal Gourmet, its name came from the fact that it was a quick, cheap meal that prostitutes could prepare between customers.
Not that it matters.... Still tastes good no matter how you spell it!