Pasta Alla Puttanesca
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups tubular pasta
- Salt to taste
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup gaeta, niçoise, or kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 4 tablespoons capers
- 10 fresh or canned anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- Pepper to taste
- Caperberries for garnish, optional
Instructions:
This is pasta sauce “harlot” style, a robust southern Italian tomato sauce usually made with tomatoes, garlic, chile peppers, capers, olives, anchovies, and oregano. The reference to prostitutes supposedly suggests this was a sauce quickly made between clients. It is most often associated with Naples and Calabria, although versions are found throughout Italy (and for that matter, the United States)Harlots notwithstanding, this is a great sauce for Americans who may be similarly rushed in their daily schedules, even if for different reasons!
-  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes, but do not brown. Add the red pepper flakes and tomatoes, and cook 2 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions.
- Add the tomato sauce, olives, 2 tablespoons of the capers, and the anchovies to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes until the flavors begin to meld together. Add the oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Serve over the hot pasta and garnish with the remaining 2Â tablespoons capers or caperberries.