Puttanesca

I spent a considerable amount of time seeking out a pasta sauce of my own to serve alongside my parent’s, and thankfully I soon happened upon a recipe for Pasta Puttanesca. To many, the combination of capers, olives, and anchovy filets might seem unappetizing, but united it creates something far greater than the sum of its parts. Food has an interesting way of doing that. I was surprised to learn that the inclusion of anchovies in the sauce is mostly up to personal preference, at least, that is what I have seen. But to me, Puttanesca just doesn’t feel right without the anchovies. There’s just a signature saltiness and texture they possess that gels so nicely with the olives and capers. I find that the inclusion of these small fishes helps differentiate the unflatteringly named “Whores pasta” from your standard red sauce. There’s also no need to taste for salt, as between the capers, olives, and anchovies, this recipe already has quite the number of salty components.  

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

Black pepper

4 ounces pitted olives (black or kalamata)

2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped

1 can anchovies, roughly chopped

6 to 7 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 can of whole (or crushed) San Marzano tomatoes

½ cup flat leaf parsley, minced

In a nonstick pan or skillet over medium-high heat, sautée the garlic in 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil (1 minute). Add the tomatoes (crush them if you haven’t already), before bringing sauce to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chopped olives, capers and anchovies to the sauce before continuing to let simmer for roughly 10 minutes. Once it is possible to see the bottom of the pot by running the sauce with a spoon, kill the heat and add the minced parsley. Taste for seasoning before serving with a pasta of your choosing.