Italian Recipes

Pasta Puttanesca

  • 400 g (14 oz) Spaghetti

  • 75 ml (3 fl oz) Extra virgin Olive Oil

  • 2 Cloves of garlic (crushed)

  • 5 or 6 Anchovy fillets

  • 40 g (2 ½ oz) Capers (buy the ones preserved in salt)

  • 110 g (4 oz) Pitted black olives (you can also use the green olives but buy the ones preserved in brine)

  • 350 g (12 oz) Chopped tomatoes

  • 1 Whole dried or fresh red chili (alternatively use ½ tsp of chili flakes)

  • Salt for seasoning

  • A small handful of flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)

1. Rinse the anchovy fillets under running water, then pat them dry with kitchen paper.

2. Repeat the above procedure with the capers.
3. Take the olives and cut them into pieces. Last, chop the parsley and set it aside; you will use it only at the end to garnish. Now, that the Ingredients are ready, we start with the sauce preparation.

4. Put the Olive Oil into the pan and heat the oil on medium/low heat. Crush the garlic with the blade of your knife and add it into the pan.

5. Sweat the garlic off for few minutes until it is golden in color, then remove it from the pan and discard it.
6. Now, move your pan away from the heat and wait for about a minute to slightly cool the oil down. Then, add the anchovy fillets.

7. Stir and break the fillets down with a spoon until they have dissolved.

8. Bring the pan back onto the heat, add the capers and the olives.

9. Give a good stir for few seconds until the oil is hot again.

10. Next, add the tomatoes and stir again.

11. Add the chili and stir for few seconds.

12. Now, cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

13. After 10 minutes, check for salt and season according to taste.

 

Try to accompany this dish with a full body red wine like Valpolicella o Bardolino.

 

 

 

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