Pasta Puttanesca

PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
30 mins
TOTAL TIME
40 mins
SERVINGS
4 to 6 servings
Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for this recipe, but any kind of pasta will work.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 canned anchovies, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons small (non-pariel) capers
3/4 cup (95g) pitted olives (black or green), roughly chopped
1 pound spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat the pasta water:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water). While the water is heating, start making the sauce.

Cook onions, anchovies, garlic:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep sauté pan. When the oil is hot, cook the onions until they're soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, stir in the chopped anchovies along with some of the oil from the can.

Add the finely chopped garlic and cook another minute.

Make the sauce:
Mix in the tomato paste and cook it for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, chili pepper flakes, olives, and capers. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then lower the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti:
When the salted pasta water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, to al dente, cooked but still slightly firm. Before draining, save about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to add back later, if needed.

Finish the sauce:
Stir the parsley into the pasta sauce. Add some pasta water into the sauce to thin it if it has become too thick.

What Does Puttanesca Mean?
It was only later that I learned the origins of this sauce. I'd made it for a female friend who was Italian, and she said, "Oh, harlot's sauce." I might have snickered. She explained that the legend of this sauce was that it easy to prepare for anyone who works when markets were closed — and ladies of the evening certainly fit that bill.