Spaghetti Puttanesca

By LaLaCooks

From Season 3: Pasta Classics

Why this recipe works:
Puttanesca is a gutsy tomato sauce punctuated by the brash, zesty flavors of garlic, anchovies, olives, and capers. But too often, the sauce comes off as too fishy, too garlicky, too briny, or just plain too salty. We wanted to harmonize the bold flavors in this Neapolitan dish and not let any one preside over the others. For a sauce with the best tomato flavor and a slightly clingy consistency, we used canned diced tomatoes and kept the cooking time to a minimum to retain their fresh flavor and their meaty texture. To tame the garlic and prevent it from burning, we soaked minced garlic in a bit of water before sautéing it. Cooking the garlic and anchovies with red pepper flakes (before adding the tomatoes) helped their flavors bloom and added a subtle heat. We chose to add the olives and capers when the sauce was finished—this prevented them from disintegrating in the sauce. Reserved tomato juice from the canned tomatoes moistened the pasta, and a last-minute addition of minced parsley preserved the fresh flavors of the sauce.
In the time it takes to boil spaghetti, you can make this simple, gutsy sauce.

The pasta and sauce cook in just about the same amount of time. If you like the fruitiness of extra-virgin olive oil, toss 1 tablespoon into the sauced pasta before serving.

Ingredients

• 4 medium cloves garlic , minced to paste or pressed through garlic press (1 packed tablespoon)
• Table salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 teaspoons minced anchovies (about 8 fillets)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved
• 3 tablespoons capers , rinsed
• 1/2 cup black olives (such as Gaeta, Alfonso, or Kalamata), pitted and chopped coarse
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Meanwhile, mix garlic with 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; set aside. When water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; stir to separate pasta. Immediately heat oil, garlic mixture, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in large skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.

2. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, then return pasta to pot; add 1/4 cup reserved tomato juice and toss to combine.

3. Stir capers, olives, and parsley into sauce. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to combine, adding more tomato juice to moisten if necessary. Adjust seasonings with salt; serve immediately.

Per Serving:

Cal 550; Fat 11 g; Sat fat 2 g; Chol 5 mg; Carb 96 g; Protein 20 g; Fiber 5 g; Sodium 1470 mg