Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca

I'm sure most people have knocked up a good spaghetti alla puttanesca (tarts or whore style spaghetti - how charming!) before now and probably don't need to be told how to make it but I'm going to share the recipe I use with you anyhow.

I love making this dish because it's so quick and simple and its basically a store cupboard recipe which you can fiddle with to your desired taste. For instance, many recipes use green olives however we're not fans so I always use black. Jamie Oliver adds tuna to his puttanesca in 30 Minute Meals but quite frankly the thought of that turns my stomach as it's quite fishy enough with the anchovies. I used dried chilli flakes but you could quite easily use a fresh red chilli and on occasion I have skipped the capers.

With the chilli added it's a bit too spicy for my children, although I do tend to be a bit over-generous with the chilli so if I perhaps halved it it would better as a family meal. As it stands, I tend to knock this up on a night when I've been working as it takes no effort at all.

This recipe serves 2.

Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca

Ingredients

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

400g can chopped tomatoes

1tbsp capers

2 anchovies, drained and finely chopped

handful pitted black olives, sliced

large pinch of dried chilli flakes (I use Schwartz)

200g spaghetti

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic and cook gently for two minutes.

Tip in the chopped tomatoes before adding the capers, chopped anchovies, sliced olives and the chilli flakes. Simmer the sauce for around 10 minutes until it has thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and toss into the pan with sauce, mixing gently.

Serve immediately.

The jury is out on whether parmesan goes with the dish or not. Delia says yes, Nigel Slater says no. I say parmesan goes with EVERYTHING.  

I served this with a green salad and some cheesy garlic bread (and of course, a large glass of wine!).

love & kisses 

Mrs M x