Pasta Puttanesca
It’s not that I don’t understand time constraints; I really just don’t understand jarred spaghetti sauce. I need to tell you that I am not a full-time mom and have never been, except for two months in 1997. Neither am I a single career woman. Like many, I balance a career, kids, and the rest of life. So while it’s true that on weekends I’ll bake my own bread or have a dinner party, on weeknights I seldom spend less than 45 minutes on dinner prep, usually less than a half an hour; it’s possible to have a home-cooked meal on the table in less time than it would take to order in and wait for the food to be delivered. There are dozens (probably hundreds, but I only know dozens) of sauces that can be made in the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta and they are all better than something in a jar that was made in a factory, probably with added sugar. It’s true that marinara and some other sauces require long and slow cooking, but even those can mostly simmer unattended and be frozen for a later date. But I digress; this is about quick sauces.
My favorite is pasta puttanesca. While I don’t speak Italian, I’m told that it translates to “pasta of whores” or “in the style of whores,” and legend has it that Roman prostitutes favored this dish for being quick, cheap, flavorful and something that could be thrown together between client appointments, although one would imagine that the gentlemen paying for services would have to like strong flavors as well. Presumably, if you live in Rome, the ingredients are all things you have around. None of them are perishable, so it’s all stuff that’s easy to keep on hand, even in a modern American kitchen, and it’s delicious!
Pasta Puttanesca
1 lb spaghetti
1/4 C. olive oil
2 cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 C. small pitted olives
1/4 C. capers
1 tin of anchovies, coarsely chopped
~4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tea oregano
red pepper flakes to taste, ~ 1/4 tea.
Chopped parsley, optional
Grated cheese, to garnish
Put water up to boil. When you are nearly ready to put the pasta in the water, put the heat on under your skillet. Put the pasta in the boiling water. Put the olive oil and tomatoes in the skillet and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Add each item, one at a time, combining before adding the next thing. When you get to the anchovies, mush them up into the sauce; they will mostly dissolve. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Serve with grated cheese, a loaf of bread, a nice red table wine, and you’re done, unless you want a green veg, too.
My favorite is pasta puttanesca. While I don’t speak Italian, I’m told that it translates to “pasta of whores” or “in the style of whores,” and legend has it that Roman prostitutes favored this dish for being quick, cheap, flavorful and something that could be thrown together between client appointments, although one would imagine that the gentlemen paying for services would have to like strong flavors as well. Presumably, if you live in Rome, the ingredients are all things you have around. None of them are perishable, so it’s all stuff that’s easy to keep on hand, even in a modern American kitchen, and it’s delicious!
Pasta Puttanesca
1 lb spaghetti
1/4 C. olive oil
2 cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 C. small pitted olives
1/4 C. capers
1 tin of anchovies, coarsely chopped
~4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tea oregano
red pepper flakes to taste, ~ 1/4 tea.
Chopped parsley, optional
Grated cheese, to garnish
Put water up to boil. When you are nearly ready to put the pasta in the water, put the heat on under your skillet. Put the pasta in the boiling water. Put the olive oil and tomatoes in the skillet and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Add each item, one at a time, combining before adding the next thing. When you get to the anchovies, mush them up into the sauce; they will mostly dissolve. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Serve with grated cheese, a loaf of bread, a nice red table wine, and you’re done, unless you want a green veg, too.