food international: Pasta Puttanesca

I love pasta puttanesca. Love it, love it, love it.

So yesterday, I made pasta puttanesca. Made it, made it, made it.

And I ate it.

And the girl was happy.

 

The Cast of Characters: Bucatini (or spaghetti), red onion, grape tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, pitted yummy olives, olive oil (not pictured because I’m a dork), chicken broth or wine (not pictured because I’m an airhead), and Parmesan cheese.

 

I decided to grab my mortar and pestle for a very, very important reason: I just felt like it. I smashed up a couple of garlic cloves…

 

Then I threw in some anchovy filets…

 

And smushed them up. And if you think you don’t like anchovies…you do. You really do.

You just don’t know it yet.

Next, throw in a jar of pitted olives and smush them into little bits, but be sure to forget to take a photo of the smushed olives so I’ll feel better about myself. Okay?

Okay.

 

Set aside the mortar and pestle mixture, then drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a skillet over medium-high heat.

Throw in sliced red onion…

Then cook ’em in the hot skillet until they’re soft and starting to brown.

With the skillet still hot, throw in a bunch of halved grape tomatoes…

Then stir ’em around and cook them for a couple of minutes.

Next, pour in some chicken broth or (if you’re like me) wine. Stir it in and let the sauce bubble up and reduce for a couple of minutes.

Then throw the olive/garlic smushed-up mixture into the pan.

Then stir it around and let it cook for a good couple of minutes, until the sauce cooks down a bit.

Note: Your kitchen will smell divine at this stage. This is normal.

Then just throw in the drained bucatini!

By the way, did you know bucatini is hollow? Kind of like a thick straw. I’ve loved it for many years.

Use tongs to toss it all around…

Then use a fork to chunk up some good Parmesan.

Throw it into the pan…

Then tear up the basil into pieces and throw it over the top.

And this, my friends…

 

Is so good I want to cry.

Simple, easy, and so, so flavorful.

Make it tonight! I’m eating leftovers today.

Recipe

Pasta Puttanesca

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Servings:

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight Bucatini Or Spaghetti
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 whole Red Onion, Sliced
• 1-1/2 cup Grape Tomatoes, Halved
• 3/4 cups Chicken Broth Or White Wine
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 4 whole Anchovy Filets
• 1/2 cup (heaping) Assorted Pitted Olives
• 12 whole Basil Leaves
• 4 ounces, weight Good Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente.

Mash (in this order) garlic, anchovies, and olives using a mortar and pestle, or just chop them finely together. Set aside.

Using a fork, crumble the Parmesan cheese.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced red onions and cook until slightly caramelized. Add halved tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in broth or wine and cook for another two minutes, then pour in garlic/anchovy/olive mixture. Stir and continue cooking for several minutes, or until sauce is nice and reduced and wonderful. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Add the crumbled Parmesan and toss to coat pasta in the sauce.

Tear basil leaves and sprinkle over the top. Serve right out of the skillet.

(Note: Bucatini is extra delicious in this dish.)