Pasta Puttanesca
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
- 500g/1.1lbs spaghetti or pasta of your choice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 8-10 brown anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
- 800g/28.3ozs. tinned diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 120g/4ozs. black pitted olives in oil
- 2 tablespoons baby capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- Basil or parsley to serve
Step 1 - Make the sauce first (you can do this a day or two ahead of time). Heat the oil in a cast iron pot on medium to high heat and add the garlic and anchovies and fry briefly. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, capers and red pepper flakes and simmer with the lid off for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Taste for seasoning-the anchovies will mean that you don't have to add much salt but if the tomatoes are sour you can add a little sugar but not too much-puttanesca is a salty sauce.
Step 2 - Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente. Add into the puttanesca sauce and coat the pasta. Serve with fresh herbs on top and cheese if you would like it.