Pasta Choice For May ~ Puttanesca

May 8th, 2012 | Recipes

As you all are aware I typically consume pasta the night before one of my races (I’m carbing up as my relatives say). This past Friday was business as usual. I wanted to do a meatless pasta dish and opted for a puttanesca sauce. I browsed recipes on line and found Rachael Ray’s to have the ingredients and hopefully the flavor I was searching for. It was delicious, filling and perhaps it even aided me in running my Personal Best time! The combination of saltiness from the pasta and my surroundings (I was at the seashore) satisfied my taste buds and belly, and certainly did not disappoint. Keep healthy and fit by choosing to eat pasta before your next race.

 

This sauce is named for ladies of the night. They would place pots of it in their windows to tempt men into the bordellos. I like it because it’s spicy, fast and easy (no disrespect to the ladies).

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
  • 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped (I used regular black olives instead)
  • 3 tablespoons capers
  • 1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • A few grinds black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)
  • Crusty bread, for mopping
  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Directions

Serving suggestions: a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper, recipe follows

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cook’s Note: Get your olives from the bulk bins in the market, rather than buying a jar. The unit price is always much less per pound and you can get just what you need for each recipe.