Dust Bunny Queen was nice enough to post a recipe for PASTA PUTTANESCA on her great blog Recipe Junkie.
2 or 3 large tomatoes *seeded and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp capers crushed
1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped calamata olives
1 small tin of anchovies in oil
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 pound linguine
fresh Parmesan or asiago cheese
In a medium sauce pan over low heat saute the garlic anchovies in the olive oil. Don't over cook, just smoosh the ancovies and garlic and oil around to make a paste and to release all the yummy flavors. Add the chopped tomatoes, capers, chili flakes, olives and simmer on low for about 10 to 15 minutes, stiring occaisonally.
Meanwhile. Cook the linguini to al dente in a large pan that has been salted with about 1 tbsp kosher salt.
Drain the pasta. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss in the Italian Parsley (bet you thought I forgot about it, didn't you?). Mix the linguine with the sauce and parsley.
Top each serving with a bit of shaved Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
Serve with a green salad, fruit (cantaloupes are really good right now), crusty french bread .....oh and of course a good wine.
My husband hated the Kalamata Olives. He thought they were too salty with the anchovies so you might substitute milder ripe olives. For those of you who don't like hot/spicy dishes you can also lighten up on the chili flakes (weenies). I also like this sauce over Farfalle pasta. Soon, I plan to try it with a mixture of yellow and red tomatoes from my garden.
* to seed tomatoes: cut the tomato in half crossways and simply squeeze the seeds and juices into a bowl. You want as much of the juice removed from the tomatoes or else your sauce will be watery and you will have to cook it much longer which will ruin the delicate flavor of the capers.
You have to check out some of the recipes in the archives. I have made several of them and they are easy to follow and very tasty.
