Restore your passion for good, easy Italian food and master this traditional flavourful recipe.
Spaghetti with Puttanesca / Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
A recipe from the region of Campania, Italy. “Puttanesca sauce is one of the pillars of traditional Italian cuisine, with two cities that claim to be its birthplace: Rome and Naples. The difference between the two recipes is that the Roman version contains anchovies, whereas in Naples it’s made with olives and capers without anchovies.” Silvana Lanzetta. This is the Neapolitan vegetarian version.
Credit: Adapted from a recipe by Silvana Lanzetta on the website: https://www.thelocal.it/20190517/how-to-make-the-classic-pasta-alla-putanesca
Ingredients
- 360 g dried spaghetti; alternatively use linguine or bucatini
- Good olive oil for cooking
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped and crushed
- ½ tsp red chilli (if preferred), deseeded and chopped, or 1 tiny pinch of crushed chilli flakes
- 80 g of pitted black olives, half chopped, half left whole
- 80 g of pitted green olives, half chopped, half left whole
- 2 tbsp of brined capers, rinsed if packed in salt, roughly chopped
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 400 g of tinned peeled plum tomatoes
- ½ a glass dry white wine
- 1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- To begin, place the oil in a large deep pan over a medium heat. Once hot, cook the garlic and chilli, if using, gently in the oil for 2 minutes.
- Add the capers, oregano, cherry tomatoes and white wine to the pan, stir well and cook for 5–6 minutes.
- After this time, stir in the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
- Taste the sauce to check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if required.
- Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, bring salted water to the boil add the pasta and cook the according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain the spaghetti, reserving a ladleful of the pasta water.
- Add the pasta water to the sauce to loosen it slightly and add the olives and flat leaf parsley. Mix thoroughly and sauté for a few minutes, until the water has evaporated.
- Stir the spaghetti into the sauce and toss well to combine everything with the sauce.
- Serve immediately into warmed bowls.
Produced by John Fletcher @ http://www.johnstastesofitaly.com
Sounds delicious, I am trying it tonight. I love how feisty and salty it sounds. A little kick from the chilli, fresh little tomatoes – mmm! Cant wait to try!
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Hi Jackie Weechs Mum,
Thank you for your comment.
Hope you enjoy the meal.
Best wishes,
John
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