Italian cuisine is not only about refined recipes passed down through generations, but also about dishes born from improvisation and necessity. Pasta alla puttanesca is one of those. Its name comes from the Italian puttana, which means... well, let's just say "a woman of easy virtue." Hence the legends: some say that this spicy, aromatic sauce was prepared by Neapolitan courtesans to have a quick bite between clients. Others say that its vibrant taste and rich aroma were meant to lure men into houses of ill repute.
A more down-to-earth version states that puttanesca pasta appeared in the 20th century in Naples or on the island of Ischia – as a dish made from whatever was on hand: tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers, and chili pepper. Regardless of its origin, it has become a favorite among those who appreciate speed in cooking and explosive flavors. The perfect combination of simplicity and passion – that’s what pasta alla puttanesca is. It doesn’t require much time to prepare; it can realistically be made in 20 minutes if you carry out all the processes quickly and confidently. And the aromas while it’s cooking will be so incredibly appetizing that we start drooling practically from the first seconds. So, without further ado, let’s move on to the step-by-step recipe with photos.
Time required: up to 30 minutes
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Cost: average
We will need:
200 g spaghetti
6 anchovy fillets in oil (you can increase the amount if you like saltier and richer flavors)
½ hot red pepper (if you don’t like very spicy flavors – you can skip this ingredient)
1 bunch of parsley
5 tbsp olive oil for frying
Preparation
To speed up the cooking process as much as possible, first we put a pot on the fire in which we will boil the pasta or spaghetti. After that, we move on to preparing the fish-tomato sauce.
We will only chop three ingredients: garlic, olives, and parsley. The garlic – finely, after crushing it with the blade of a knife, the olives – into rings, and the parsley also finely.
If you are using whole peeled tomatoes – they need to be chopped. You can do this by simply cutting them with a knife or using a potato masher. You can choose any method that is convenient for you.
Heat the pan, add olive oil. Add the garlic and anchovy fillets, frying until the latter dissolve, carefully stirring the mixture with a spatula. At this stage, anchovies like to "jump" out of the pan, so this process will be the most messy for the kitchen (in the photo, you can see that it splattered even on the walls).
Add capers and olives, frying until the excess moisture evaporates.
Introduce the peeled tomatoes and half of the parsley into the mixture. Add freshly ground pepper, taste for salt, and add more if necessary.
By the time the sauce is prepared, the spaghetti will have cooked to al dente. We scoop out a cup of boiling water from the pot they are cooking in (we will use this water in a couple of minutes), drain them, and place them in the pan.
Mix thoroughly, add the water we just set aside. When it evaporates – our puttanesca pasta is ready. Serve on a plate, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, fill a glass with dry red wine, and enjoy the feast of flavors, aromas, and colors.
