Ladies of the Night Pasta – Pasta alla Puttanesca

From Around the Table

Serves:  4

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti, pappardelle, penne or rigatoni

¼ cup olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like your sauce spicy)

8 fillets of anchovy, finely chopped (canned will do nicely)

2 cans tomatoes or 2 jars of your home-canned tomatoes

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 cup pitted, halved calamata olives

Small handful of chopped fresh basil

Handful of chopped Italian parsley

Salt and pepper

Method:

Sauté onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil until the onion and garlic are soft. Add the anchovy fillets. Sauté for a minute. Add the cans of tomatoes, basil and oregano. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add capers and olives.  Let simmer 10 more minutes while you cook the pasta. Drain the pasta well and return to the pot. Add one ladle of the sauce and stir to coat pasta.

To Serve:  

Fill bowls with pasta, pour sauce over the pasta, sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with a crisp, fresh salad.