Puttanesca is a super quick sauce that packs a punch of bold flavors: garlic, chili flake, anchovies, olives and capers swimming in a rich tomato sauce. It is the perfect pantry staple pasta for a chilly night.
Puttanesca is not a sauce that I’ve ever made before. But now that I know how easy it is, I’m making it a staple weeknight meal. One of my favorite parts about this recipe is that every single ingredient is something that I have in my pantry at all times. It’s flavors are robust to say the least. Briny and salty olives and capers, sweet tomatoes, a kick of chili flake, and my personal favorite, anchovies. I know some people out there are thinking “blech, anchovies.” I love them, so I can’t really be impartial. But when you sauté anchovies in garlic and olive oil first they completely dissolve into any sauce and don’t taste fishy at all. They simply lend a rich saltiness that leaves you wondering what it is exactly that makes the sauce so tasty.
While all the traditional hallmarks of puttanesca are here, I had to put our own slight spin on it. I chose fettuccine over the traditional spaghetti for a noodle with a bit more bite. And for some protein I served my puttanesca with a simple braised pork shoulder. Puttanesca is super versatile and you can top it with any protein you like; Italian sausage, chicken breast, ground beef, or even just serve it on its own. But the braised pork shoulder is super easy, and it’s simple flavors make it the perfect warm and hearty accompaniment for a bold sauce.
A QUICK HISTORY OF PUTTANESCA
The history of puttanesca is a colorful one to say the least. The name puttanseca comes from the Italian word “puttana” meaning prostitute. This dish’s most common origin story tells us that it was invented in the bordellos of Naples’ working class neighborhoods around WWII. These ladies of the night are said to have made the dish for a number of different reasons: because the ingredients were cheap, because it was quick and easy to throw together between clients, and most popularly because the strong aromas of anchovies, olives and garlic were thought to lure in customers.
But I think my favorite puttanesca origin story comes from a food historian who points out that Italians use the word “puttana” as a catch-all profanity, much like we use the word “shit.” So pasta puttanesca, with its use of pantry staples and ingredients that you always have on hand, basically means “I just threw a bunch of shit into pasta.”
Puttanesca Tips and Tricks
For the pasta water:
- Boil pasta in less water than you usually would, creating a starchier water that will better bind the sauce.
- Reserve some of that starchy water before you drain the pasta. If your sauce is too thick you can always add some.
- Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes less in the water (it will be very al dente), then transfer to the sauce to finish cooking there. This will ensure the sauce sticks to every piece of pasta, and all that starchiness is properly absorbed into the sauce
For the sauce:
- Use whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano, for sweetness), and crush them with a fork or, as my grandmother used to do it, with your hands.
- Add the anchovies (with the garlic) to the oil in the pan before you add any other components. The anchovies will dissolve completely, leaving you with an evenly distributed rich and salty flavor, and never a punch of anchovies for those who don’t like them.
- Chop your olives are capers so that they will be evenly distributed in the sauce, and you get a briny kick with every bite
THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS DISH…
Comes from a meal that my boyfriend Gabe and I had with my family in Provincetown last summer. It was honestly one of the best meals of my life, and not just because the food was delicious (which is was). But because it was so cool so have a meal with a big, blended family: Gabe and I; my brother and sister-in-law with the new addition of my niece; my mom and step-mom; and my step-mom’s kid with their partner.
We sat at a table directly on the beach as the tide was slipping out, wet sand under our toes, and had an incredible Italian meal. Gabe had a pasta puttanesca that he couldn’t stop talking or thinking about, and since we aren’t going to be back in Provincetown anytime soon, we decided to make it ourselves. According to Gabe, it came out just as good (if not better) than he remembered.
Pasta Putanesca
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic, 3 minced, 3 thinly sliced
- 3-6 anchovy fillets, minced, to taste
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, diced
- 1/4 cup capers, diced
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes or more to taste
- 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 1 lb fettuccine or linuine
- lost of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- basil and parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add salt and bring to a boil for pasta.
- In a large sauté pan or shallow sauce pot, sauté garlic and anchovies with lots of olive oil over medium high heat. Cook , stirring occasionally, until garlic has browned slightly and anchovies are dissolved, 3 minutes. Add oregano and tomatoes, crushing them with your hand or a fork to break them down. Add chili flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook sauce over medium heat until thickened slightly, 10 minutes. Add olives and capers and stir to combine.
- Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until very al dente, 2-3 minutes less than what the package says. Add one ladleful of pasta water to sauce, and reserve another ladleful before draining pasta.
- Add pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook pasta in the sauce an additional 3-5 minutes, until the pasta is done to your liking. Add reserved pasta water if sauce gets too thick. Garnish with parsley and basil, top with choice of protein, and serve.
Easy Braised Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves galric, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cup red wine, plus more if needed
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- herbs of choice, tied into a bunder with kitchen twine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Liberally salt and pepper pork. Heat dutch oven over medium heat with olive oil. Sear chunks of pork shoulder in batches until evenly browned, 4-5 minutes per side. Set pork aside.
- Add garlic and onion to dutch oven and saute until just starting to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, another two minutes. Add pork (with juices) back in, along with wine, bay leaves and the bundle of herb stems. Season with more salt and pepper.
- Place dutch oven in the oven and cook, checking occasionally that the liquid has not evaporated, until pork is tender, 4-5 hours. Once cooked, discard bay leaf and herb stems. The cooking liquid can be discarded or reduced into a gravy. Serve pork in chunks, or shred.
Leave a Reply