Pbenjay's Blog

Classic Spaghetti Puttanesca

Growing up in an Italian Catholic family, Fridays were meatless in our house, and I don’t just mean during Lent!  However, since it is Lent and today is Friday, I thought I’d post a typical Italian Friday pasta dish.  Of course I wouldn’t eat it because I don’t like anchovies, at least not in my pasta or on my pizza. It’s been only in the last two years that I’ve actually used anchovies in a dish and that’s because if you put one or two in a skillet with some heated olive oil, the anchovy will melt leave a subtle flavor behind.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup EV olive oil

1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

2 TBS capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped

3 anchovy fillets, minced

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata or other brined black olives, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups tomato purée (from 15oz can)

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 lb spaghetti

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Add grape tomatoes, capers, anchovies, olives, and garlic and cook until fragrant and tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes  Add tomato purée and season with salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes (sauce with be separated).

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water;  drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food