Pasta puttanesca (or pasta alla puttanesca) brings together a whole bouquet of bold, intense flavours: anchovies, capers, olives, garlic, chili, and tomatoes. Combined, they transform into an extraordinarily delicious sauce that leaves nobody indifferent. Honestly, pasta alla puttanesca is my joker card. Mainly, because it comes together in 15 minutes. Secondly, because I always have the ingredients in my kitchen. And lastly, because I could eat it any time, always. Another pasta that hits all these spots is my pasta with tuna!
Anchovies aren’t always easy to find, but you can substitute them with canned tuna or sardines. The sauce will be fishier, but still very good. That said, if you ever spot a jar of anchovies in olive oil at the store – grab it without hesitation! You won’t actually taste them in the finished dish, but the sauce will be so much more intense and complex. Spaghetti work best here. We’ll cook it for a couple of minutes less, than usual and finish it in the sauce. Then we’ll close our eyes and imagine we’re in Sicily!
A few tips so everything turns out perfectly:
- I would recommend starting the sauce of low-medium heat so that chili, garlic and anchovies infuse the oil gradually, without burning. Take your time. These first 2-3 minutes are important for the future taste of the sauce.
- Once the anchovies have melted in the oil, you can add the remaining ingredients.
- Canned tomatoes need some time to cook, otherwise they will taste sour. Once you’ve added them to the pan, make sure they simmer for at least 10 minutes. If the sauce still tastes too sour, you can balance it with some sugar.
- Water from the pasta contains starch. Add a few tablespoons of it in the sauce to make it creamier.
- Cook the pasta 2 minutes less, than the time indicated on the packaging and then let it finish cooking in the sauce.
Ingredients
- handful of capers 30 g
- handful of black olives 30 g
- anchovy fillets 3-4
- garlic cloves 1
- whole peeled tomatoes (pomodori pelati, 1 can) 400 g
- dried red chili flakes (such as peperoncino) 1 tsp
- spaghetti 180 g
Instructions
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti.
- Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a skillet and turn on medium heat. Add 1 tsp chili flakes and let the oil absorb their flavor. Add 3-4 anchovies – they should dissolve into the oil. Press in 1 garlic clove. Roughly chop 30 g capers and add them to the pan.
- Pour 1 can tomatoes into the sauce and bring to a boil. Halve 30 g olives and add them to the sauce. Stir well and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Near the end, add a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta cooking water — the starch it releases will give the sauce a lovely creaminess.
- Salt the boiling water and add 180 g pasta. Set a timer for 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package.
- Drain the spaghetti and toss it straight into the sauce. Stir, let it absorb the sauce and finish cooking. Serve immediately!
