Pasta Puttanesca

This is the famous dish of the ladies of the night and, aside from chicken soup, my first  

real meal in three weeks.  The only reason it came about is an email from La Cucina Italiana which landed in my inbox this morning featuring it as the recipe of the day.   Boy did it look good.  Just the fact that I made it tonight is a good endorsement as to how little time it takes to prepare.

You will find my version to be on the milder and less salty side which I get by soaking the capers in water before adding them to the sauce.  Don't miss adding the anchovy paste which is typical of the Neapolitan version.  You will not even know it's there but it does add a lot to the flavor of the sauce.  A little sugar serves to balance the acidity in the tomatoes.

This is the kind of recipe you want to keep on hand for a quick midweek meal or for a Friday night at the ski or lake house. The ingredients are all staples that should be in your pantry.  All you need is a loaf of French bread and a sturdy red wine.

I did not have fresh basil but I did have some in cubes which I keep in the freezer.  What I do is chop the basil, place it in ice cube trays and cover with olive oil. Once the cubes are frozen, I taken them out and keep them in freezer bags. They come in handy in the dead of winter.

I don't know how long this malaise will linger now that the worst part of the flu is over;  but, in the meantime, I will try my best to entertain you with simple recipes and some stories.

Pasta Puttanesca

yield: Makes 6 servings                          

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried spaghetti, spaghettini, or linguine fini
• 5 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press or pounded with the back of a knife and chopped
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice (preferably San Marzano or Pomi crushed tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• Pinch of sugar (optional)
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped basil

Preparation

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil.  Soak the capers in water for a couple of minutes.

Heat oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat until warm.

Add anchovy paste and continue to heat,  Add tomatoes and stir to combine.

Add olives, capers, pinch of sugar and tomato paste; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.  Add basil.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Immediately add sauce and stir to combine; warm over low heat, tossing, until sauce coats pasta well, about 1 minute.

Serve immediately.