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Pasta Puttanesca
By Mark Bittman
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Time 30 minutes There are almost as many explanations for the origins of pasta puttanesca as there
are ways to make it. Ostensibly a sauce invented and made by prostitutes, it was
Rating 5 (4178)
designed to lure customers with its powerful aroma. Whatever the origin, no better
Notes Read 432 community notes cold-weather pasta sauce has come down to us. Puttanesca can be made
completely with ingredients from the larder; in fact, it can be prepared entirely
Save Give without ingredients that require refrigeration, though a bit of a fresh herb at the
end does help. The basis is a garlicky tomato sauce; canned tomatoes are
preferable here. This is brought to a high level of flavor by the addition of
anchovies, capers and olives. Red pepper flakes make things even better. The
whole process is ridiculously easy.
Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; Busy Nights? Classic Sauce
Learn: How to Make Pasta
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INGREDIENTS PREPARATION
Yield: 3 to 6 servings Step 1
Salt to taste Bring pot of water to boil and salt it. Warm 2 tablespoons oil with garlic and
anchovies in skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
3 tablespoons olive oil
garlic is lightly golden.
3 or more cloves garlic, lightly smashed
and peeled Step 2
3 or more anchovy fillets Drain tomatoes and crush with fork or hands. Add to skillet, with some salt
and pepper. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
tomatoes break down and mixture becomes saucy, about 10 minutes. Stir in
Freshly ground black pepper to taste olives, capers and red pepper flakes, and continue to simmer.
½ cup pitted black olives, preferably oil-
cured Step 3
Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until it is tender but not mushy. Drain
2 tablespoons capers
quickly and toss with sauce and remaining tablespoon of oil. Taste and adjust
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste seasonings as necessary, garnish with herbs if you like, and serve.
1 pound linguine or other long pasta
Chopped fresh parsley, oregano,
marjoram or basil leaves for garnish,
optional
Add to Your Grocery List
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional Information
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RATINGS COOKING NOTES
5 out of 5 All Notes (432) Most Helpful (102) Private (0)
4178 user ratings
Your rating Jim Add the crushed red peppers at the beginning, with the garlic and
5 years ago anchovies. It releases the full aroma from the peppers that simply
boiling them at the end as the recipe calls for won't do.
Is this helpful? 645
Have you cooked this?
Mark as Cooked
Joan Oakland Sorry, but "using a mortal to crush garlic" is probably my favorite
4 years ago spellcheck correction of all time! Picturing you up on Olympus . . .
gotta get that crushed garlic somehow!
Is this helpful? 578
CFXK "I don't know why people use canned tomatoes." Because most of
4 years ago us don't have easy access to decent tomatoes (i.e., tomatoes that
have not been mass produced, bred for shelf life and "perfect
shape" rather than flavor, and picked green) The tomatoes used in
good quality canned tomatoes are far superior to the cardboard
tomatoes sold in most supermarkets.
Is this helpful? 356
Show more notes
Recipe Tags
Italian, Pastas, Anchovy, Black Olives, Canned Plum Tomato, Linguine, Dinner, Easy, Quick, Main Course, Winter
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