PUTTANESCA SAUCE.
I don't know about you, but when the weather changes, I long for slow suppers in the garden. With a glass of wine and a good book, or a conversation with a friend, these moments are truly special.
One of my all-time favourite pasta sauces is puttanesca. This Southern Italian dish features a rich, garlicky tomato sauce with olives, capers, anchovies, and a touch of chilli. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook, so you'll have a meal ready in under half an hour.
You can use this sauce on any kind of pasta—I use it with gluten-free pasta, but it's equally delicious with gnocchi or noodles made from courgettes.
Once you've made this sauce, it will quickly become a staple in your recipe book because it's so easy to adjust the seasoning to suit your own taste. It's delicious to have on your own or to share with someone you care about. This recipe serves four people.
Ingredients.
- 400g can peeled tomatoes.
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon good-quality sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 3 shallots or 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 5 anchovies, drained and finely chopped
- 120 grams pitted black olives
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, washed and chopped
- Pasta of your choice
METHOD
Pour the olive oil into a pan and heat gently. Add the chopped onions or shallots, minced garlic, and chilli flakes. Cook over medium heat until the onions become translucent.
Add the capers, olives, and anchovies.
Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your preferred pasta according to package instructions.
After 15 minutes, incorporate the chopped parsley into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning with black pepper and sea salt as needed; given the presence of anchovies, additional salt may not be necessary.
Drain the pasta.Add the sauce and serve. The dish is simple to prepare yet yields a sauce with remarkable depth of flavour
