Pasta alla Puttanesca

Pasta alla Puttanesca

A punchy Neapolitan pantry sauce of tomato, black olives, capers, anchovy and chilli, tossed through spaghetti for a salty, savoury hit. It comes together in about the time it takes to boil the pasta.

Prep

10 min

Cook

20 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) spaghetti, or linguine
• •3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• •2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• •4 fillets salt-packed or oil-packed anchovies, salt-packed preferred; rinse and fillet if salt-packed
• •1 piece dried red chilli (peperoncino), crumbled, or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes; adjust to taste
• •400 g (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, San Marzano if possible; crush by hand
• •80 g (2/3 cup) Taggiasca or Gaeta black olives, pitted; substitute Niçoise or other brine-cured black olives
• •2 tbsp salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained; substitute brine-packed, drained
• •1 tbsp drained tuna (optional), traditional Neapolitan addition; skip if preferred
• •1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• •fine sea salt, to taste, anchoives, olives and capers are salty, so taste before salting
• •20 g (2 tbsp (grated)) Pecorino Romano (optional), many Neapolitans omit cheese on seafood-scented sauces; add at the table if you like

Steps

1. 1 Bring a large pot of well-salted water (about 10 g salt per litre) to a rolling boil for the pasta.
2. 2 While the water heats, prepare the sauce: warm the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and crumble in the dried chilli; cook gently for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
3. 3 Add the anchovy fillets and stir with a wooden spoon, mashing them against the pan until they dissolve into the oil, about 1-2 minutes.
4. 4 Add the tomatoes, crushing them by hand as they go in. Stir in the olives, rinsed capers and the optional tuna. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to separate at the edges. Taste and add salt only if needed.
5. 5 Meanwhile, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the package time. Reserve about 200 ml (3/4 cup) of pasta water before draining.
6. 6 Transfer the drained pasta directly into the skillet with the sauce. Add most of the chopped parsley and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 30-60 seconds until the sauce clings to each strand and looks glossy.
7. 7 Loosen with more pasta water a tablespoon at a time if the sauce tightens. Finish with the remaining parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
8. 8 Serve immediately. Offer Pecorino Romano at the table for those who want it, even though it is not strictly traditional in Naples.