Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca

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So the story is there was a brothel, and everybody was hungry after working and getting tired. It’s a pick-up for a brothel, so they made pasta with whatever they had in the cabinet, and I guess in this brothel all they had were tomatoes and olives and some spices. Puttanesca means “of the whore,” and this is the legend I was told about how this dish came to be. It works, it’s absolutely fabulous, and it’s definitely a pick-up after working hard.

INGREDIENTI

Prep Time: 20 min / Cook Time: 20 min / Serves:4

1 pound ripe tomatoes or peeled tomatoes (if in a hurry)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 anchovy fillets
2 ounces pitted and sliced black olives
1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed and chopped
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 handful fresh parsley, leaved picked and chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2

Submerge the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes.

3

Peel the tomatoes and cut them open. Discard the seeds and cut the flesh into small cubes.

4

In a large nonstick pan heat about 3 tablespoons olive oil and saute together the garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, and red pepper flakes for about 3 to 4 minutes.

5

Add the tomatoes and let cook on a medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.

6

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti about 2 minutes less than indicated on the box, drain and add to the sauce pan on a medium high flame, toss around for a couple of minutes or less, making sure the sauce is evenly distributed on the pasta.

7

Add a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley and a drizzle extra-virgin olive oil.