We were on a cruise recently and the ship we were on had a separate pizza restaurant! So of course we had pizza a few times. The varieties were extensive — the chef made pizzas with all sorts of toppings. Mostly I like (and ate) plain pizza Margherita, sometimes topped with arugula, but one time I chose Puttanesca. It was an OMG moment.
Puttanesca is not for everyone. It’s salty and very tangy.
But I absolutely love it.
I’ve made Puttanesca sauce for spaghetti many times, usually with canned San Marzano tomatoes. But the plum tomatoes at the market recently were too good to pass up, so I went to my trusted recipe drawer, “sauce folder” and found my fresh tomato version. It was as good as I had remembered.
Here it is:
Spaghetti with Fresh Puttanesca Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
3 anchovies, chopped (or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste)
4-5 large plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
pinch or two of crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
12-15 mixed pitted black and green imported olives, cut coarsely
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the anchovies (or paste), mix briefly, then add the tomatoes, basil and red pepper. Cook, over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the capers and olives and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until it has reached the desired consistency (use 2 tablespoons of capers if you want it less tangy).
Makes enough for 1/2 pound pasta