February 4, 2011 – Foodologie

I’ve probably mentioned this before but I’ve never been a big fan of pasta.

It just was never that exciting. UNLucky for me, I’m spending the next few months in the land of pasta.

But as the saying goes… When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

So I’m trying, and here’s my experiment. Pasta alla Puttanesca, which I guess literally means “whore style pasta.” It’s not a Roman recipe originally, and I like to think I’m not a whore, but why not give it a shot. While I’ve never been a big fan of pasta, I’ve always loved sauce (or “gravy” as they call it on The Sopranos) and more importantly I love olives.

I have no idea if this recipe is anywhere nearing authentic, but I read the basic ingredients of Pasta alla Puttanesca, took a quick trip to the grocery store and came up with this:

To be honest, it was delicious. And to be even more honest, I didn’t measure these things. So these are estimates of how much I used. If you give it a try, add stuff and keep tasting and adding more until you like the flavor. After all, who cares about authenticity if it doesn’t taste good to you? (At least in your own home)

Puttanesca (ish) Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced (apparently the original version doesn’t include onions)
2 gloves of garlic, minced
2 cups tomato puree
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried basil
1 cup sliced olives
3 tbsp capers
salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of fresh italian parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot, add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add tomato puree, tomato paste, basil, olives, capers, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in parsley. Simmer for another 15 minutes or so, really the longer you simmer it the better. If your sauce is too thick, add a bit of water.

Serve over pasta and enjoy!