Pasta Puttanesca

Here is another Italian restaurant staple – pasta puttanseca. This dish’s claim to fame is its pungency and how that relates to its origin – i.e. puttanesca meaning ‘from the prostitutes’ or ‘in the style of the prostitutes’. It is rumored that the dish was favored by Italian prostitutes to keep their clients from trying to kiss them. A girl’s got to have some boundaries right? Well upon further research, it seems there is little written documentation about this dish prior to the middle of the 20th century. Which means pasta puttanesca may have been a simple dish made only at home and not seen as restaurant fare (or fare an upstanding diner would want to be seen eating!) or it came about from a lean kitchen larder late one night (as another origin story claims). Regardless of the origin, this dish is flavorful… and surprisingly easy to make. As with all good cooking, having all your ingredients prepped and at hand is critical to that ease and ultimate success. This dish is no exception and even adds a little challenge in timing the sauce and the pasta to be ready near the same time. But that challenge won’t deter you from making this dish, will it? I certainly hope not… when the reward is a deliciously pungent plate of pasta!

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Pasta Puttanesca

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

3 oz 'straight' pasta (spaghetti, bucatini, linguini, etc)
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tbsp capers, chopped
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp oregano
1½ oz kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
6 oz campari tomatoes, cut into 12 wedges
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 oz tomato sauce
¼ cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Romano cheese, shredded plus more for garnish

Instructions

Heat a large skillet with water over High heat to cook the pasta.
In another large skillet, heat the olive oil over Medium heat.
Add the garlic and anchovy paste to the skillet with the olive oil.
Cook until the garlic begins to brown lightly, approximately 4 - 5 minutes.
When the water begins to boil, add salt and pasta, cooking until 1 minute shy of the package instructions 'al dente' doneness.
Add the capers and olives, cooking for a minute or two.
Add the oregano and red pepper flakes, cooking for a minute or two to bloom the spices.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a 2 minutes to soften slightly.
Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute to combine.
Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine, reduce the heat to Medium-Low for a gentle simmer until the pasta is ready.
Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water and add the drained pasta to the sauce.
Cook the pasta for 2 minutes in the sauce, adding pasta water as needed to keep the sauce loose.
Sprinkle the cheese and ⅔ of the parsley over top and stir to combine and melt the cheese into the sauce.
Plate and garnish with remaining parsley and cheese.

Heat a large skillet with water over High heat to cook the pasta. In another large skillet, heat the olive oil over Medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovy paste to the skillet with olive oil.

Cook until the garlic begins to brown lightly, approximately 4 – 5 minutes.

When the water begins to boil, add salt and pasta, cooking until 1 minute shy of the package instructions ‘al dente’ doneness. Add the capers and olives, cooking for a minute or two. Add the oregano and red pepper flakes, cooking for a minute or two to bloom the spices.

Add the tomatoes and cook for a 2 minutes to soften slightly.

Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute to combine. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine, reduce the heat to Medium-Low for a gentle simmer until the pasta is ready.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and add the drained pasta to the sauce. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes in the sauce, adding pasta water as needed to keep the sauce loose.