Well… I must say, Victor has done it, again! An absolutely delicious dinner using a few simple ingredients from the cupboard.
I’m not sure who named a pasta dish after a bunch of working women, but it’s a delicious meal, regardless of the name – and it’s ready in literal minutes.
It is more often than not made with canned tomatoes, but we had grape tomatoes in the ‘fridge that needed using up – they were the inspiration for the dish.
A quick, fresh sauce can be made with just about anything in the kitchen – sauce doesn’t always have to simmer on the stove for hours and hours. We tend to can the long-simmered sauce and make quick sauces the rest of the time.
A good thing to do is to cook the spaghetti about 80% of the way and finish it off in the sauce.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
- olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 12 oz grape tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- oregano
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Spaghetti
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until about 80% done. Drain and set aside about a cup of pasta cooking water.
In a large skillet, sauté garlic and anchovies in olive oil until anchovies begin to break apart. Add tomato paste and cook briefly. Add a splash of white wine, then add the tomatoes, olives, and capers. Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down.
Add the crushed red pepper, to taste, and a hefty pinch of good oregano. Add salt and black pepper, to taste.
Add the cooked spaghetti and about a half-cup of pasta water. Simmer until spaghetti is cooked to your liking.
Finish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.
A simple dish where you get to taste every one f the individual components.
Excellent!