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Pasta Puttanesca

Source of Recipe

Cucina Amore / Nick Stellino


Recipe Introduction

One story of how this dish got it's name is that such a dish was, in the old days, a very typical fare of the southern costal bordellos. (Puttanesca is Italian for a "Sidewalk Cinderella", if you know what I mean.) Legend has it that during hard financial times local fishermen would pay for the pleasure of a "lady's company" with their catch, especially anchovies. The entrepreneurial "Grand Dame" of some such establishment found a way to turn frugality into culinary history, the result being the birth of this dish.

List of Ingredients

3 quarts water (salt optional)
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 tablespoon anchovy paste (See Note 1 Below)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (See Note 2 Below)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1-1/4 cups Chicken Stock (See Note 3 Below)
1 cup Tomato Sauce (See Note 4 Below)
1 pound pasta - ziti, penne or spaghetti
grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional) (See Note 5 Below)



Recipe

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil with or without the optional salt.
Pour the olive oil into a large saute pan set on medium heat and cook the olives, garlic, capers, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes for 3 minutes, stirring well to dissolve the anchovy paste. Add the parsley, chicken stock, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook accordingly to package directions until just tender. Drain well and add it back to the pot. Pour the sauce on top of the pasta and cook over medium heat, stirring well to coat the pasta with the sauce, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the Romano cheese, if you wish.

Cook's Tip: Always wait until the sauce is ready before cooking your pasta and toss the cooked pasta immediatly with the sauce.

Gem's Notes:
Note 1: I have also used anchovy fillets instead of the paste. I rinse 4 of them well and mash them into a puree before adding them to the olive oil.
Note 2: If you like a "Hot Dish", you can ask the "Grand Dame" for the "specialty of the house." Or you can add more red pepper flakes. Or, two chiles de arbol sauted with the olive oil and a tablespoon of crushed chipotle flakes added as a final sprinkling of seasoning with salt and pepper to taste may be substitued.
Note 3: It is highly advisable you make your own Chicken Stock rather than using the canned variety. I will be posting Nick Stellino's own version called Brodo Di Pollo.
Note 4: It is highly advisable you make your own Tomato Sauce rather than using the canned variety. I will be posting Nick Stellino's own version called Sugo Di Pomodoro.
Note 5: I prefer freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, but either is good.

Serves 4