Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Photo: nishidaryuichi, CC BY 2.0
Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a quick, salty, spicy pasta built from pantry staples: anchovies, olives, capers, garlic and tomato. The anchovies are crushed to a paste and melted into butter and oil, so they season the sauce without tasting fishy. One account credits Sandro Petti of the Ischian restaurant Rancio Fellone, who invented it in the 1950s from whatever was left in the kitchen at closing time.
Instructions
Put the butter, olive oil, chopped garlic and anchovy paste in a skillet over medium heat. Stir as the anchovies melt into the fat, and do not let the garlic brown.
Before the garlic takes any color, add the olives, capers, puréed tomatoes and chopped chile peppers if you are using them. Add two or three pinches of salt and turn the heat to high, stirring so the sauce cooks evenly.
While the sauce cooks, boil the spaghetti in well salted water, using at least 4 quarts of water for every pound of pasta. Drain it when it is al dente, tender but still slightly firm when bitten.
Tip the pasta into a large serving bowl and pour the sauce over it, tossing until every strand is coated. Scatter the chopped parsley on top, mix once more and serve hot, without grated cheese as is the Italian custom.
Go easy on the chile the first time. One or one and a half small peppers is a fair start, and you can add more on later attempts until the heat suits you. Most cooks stop at three.
Make it personal.
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