About the Recipe
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a traditional Italian pasta from Naples with a sauce based on pantry essentials.
Gear Up (aka the stuff you'll need):
Large pot
Medium skillet
The Good Stuff (aka the ingredients)
200g/7oz spaghetti, or other long pasta (get your twirl on)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (the good stuff, people)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced (knife, not press!)
3 anchovy fillets, finely minced (trust me, you won't taste the fish, just the flavor)
¼ cup pitted black olives, preferably in oil, quartered (flavor bombs!)
3 tbsp capers, drained (salty bursts of joy)
¼ tsp chili flakes (red pepper flakes) (spice it up!)
400g/14oz can crushed tomato (or hand crush whole canned tomatoes) (the base of it all)
⅛ tsp kosher/cooking salt (or 2 pinches table salt) (be careful, it's salty already!)
⅛ tsp black pepper (a little kick)
2 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped (the finishing touch!)
Let's Get Baking (aka the instructions)
Get that water boiling for the pasta
Garlic Gold: Heat the olive oil in your skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 15 seconds, until it starts turning golden.
Anchovy Action: Add the anchovies, capers, olives, and chili flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
Tomato Time: Add the crushed tomatoes.
Simmer Down: Add the salt, and pepper. Stir it up, bring it to a simmer, then turn down to low and cook for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and happy.
Pasta Power: While the sauce simmers, add salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Pasta Water Magic: Before draining the pasta, scoop out a mugful of that starchy pasta water and set it aside. Then drain the pasta.
Toss It Up: Immediately add the pasta to the sauce. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and toss it all together over low heat for 1 minute, until the sauce clings to the pasta. Add more pasta water if it gets too dry.
Serve It Sassy: Transfer the pasta to your warmed bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil, and serve immediately!
Important Stuff (aka the notes):
Don't skip the anchovies! They add a depth of flavor that's essential.
Use good quality olives in oil for the best flavour.