Pasta Puttanesca

I think it’s becoming a theme.  Delicious, savory dinners made in less than 20 minutes from ingredients I already have at hand.  I love this.  It is the kind of dish that makes me look forward to cooking the next night.  A stress-free, relaxing meal to prepare, allowing me to appreciate being in the kitchen and to think up what I will cook in the coming days.  Since I have begun this blog I need moments like that.  Yes Lindsey, you can come up with more things to cook.  No, they won’t turn out every time but that’s ok – how else will you learn?  You have been practicing and part of this practice is to identify what is missing, define what product/method will remedy the taste and result in the dish you have dreamt up.  These little therapy sessions in the kitchen restore my confidence and remind me of why I have fallen so hard for cooking.  The fact that this is a pasta dish doesn’t surprise me.  It’s my favorite food and is so well-represented in a puttanesca sauce.  Vibrant and bright, the tangy capers mix with the olives and a rich saltiness from the anchovy paste gives a strong foundation to support this meal.  It will leave you more than satisfied and ready to face whatever challenge lies ahead.

I’m not going to overdue it – but I’ve said it 1,000 times.  I love pasta!  Especially the homemade variety.  I used some frozen spaghetti on this particular night (see my handmade pasta recipe here) but regular, dried spaghetti will work perfectly.  Using whole wheat pasta would make this a very healthy meal, in fact.

This is a ‘pantry pasta’ in my mind, primarily comprised of packaged items that can be kept in stock at all times and generally have a long shelf-life.  Set a large part of water on the stove to boil and then gather the following: one half cup diced onion, one tbs minced garlic, one quarter cup olive oil, one tsp dried oregano, one half tsp red pepper flakes, one tsp anchovy paste, one tbs tomato paste, one 14oz can diced tomatoes, one half cup kalamata olives, two tbs capers, the juice from one half of a lemon, one third cup minced parsley, one third cup freshly grated parmesan, and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Set a large saute pan over medium heat and warm for one minute.  Add the olive oil to the warm pan and heat for one minute longer.  Add the onions and allow to cook for two minutes.  Once the onions have begun to soften, add the garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Saute for two minutes more, allowing the herbs and garlic to sweat and release their oils.  Watch the heat – you don’t want this to burn.

With a sauce like this you need a strong backbone.  An undercurrent of flavor to carry the rest of the ingredients through, allowing them to shine.  Tomato paste and anchovy paste are key.  I know what you’re thinking – anchovy paste?  Nastiness Foodie-Girl!  Trust me on this one.  Both of these items provide a highly concentrated flavor and will melt into the sauce, not overwhelming but marrying everything into one balanced and lovely mixture.

Um, yeah.  So it’s pretty gross looking.  But just stir and allow it to melt.  You’ll be happy it’s there as soon as you taste the finished product!

From this point forward its simply a matter of combining the rest of the ingredients and reducing the sauce.  Add the tomatoes first – the whole can with the juice – and turn the heat to medium high.  Bring to a boil and allow to reduce for two minutes.  As this happens, add the olives, capers and lemon juice.  Stir to combine and bring the heat down, letting the sauce simmer and continue to reduce, while you cook the pasta.  If you are using dried pasta this will take five to eight minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodle.  Fresh, frozen pasta will take four to five minutes total.  Put a handful of salt into the boiling water and add the pasta.  Once al dente, drain the pasta, reserving one third of the pasta water.  Add the pasta water to the pan.  This starchy goodness will help thin the sauce out a bit and will enhance the flavor.  Bring the heat back up and allow to simmer strongly for one minute.  Add the parsley, reserving a bit for garnish, and then add the parmesan, stirring to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remember, the capers, anchovy paste and olives provide lots of salty goodness to this dish – you don’t want to overdue it – but the tomatoes will need a little help.

Remove the sauce from the heat and add the pasta, tossing to combine.

Plate and top with the remaining parsley and a final shower of parmesan cheese.  Pair with a wonderful glass of red wine (perhaps some Gabbiano Chianti!) and dig into this wonderful plate.  You’ve earned it.

Continue reading for the ingredient list and step by step directions!

Serves Two

• one half pound spaghetti
• one half cup diced onion
• one tbs minced garlic
• one quarter cup olive oil
• one tsp dried oregano
• one half tsp red pepper flakes
• one tsp anchovy paste
• one tbs tomato paste
• one 14oz can diced tomatoes
• one half cup kalamata olives
• two tbs capers
• the juice from one half of a lemon
• one third cup reserved pasta water
• one third cup minced parsley, plus additional for garnish
• one third cup freshly grated parmesan, plus additional for garnish
• pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper