Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Serves 2
Puttanesca is one of the first dishes I ever cooked, and it is still one of my favorite sauces. Quick, easy, and vibrant with earthy piquant flavors, it originated in Naples—and the earliest recipe dates back to 1844. Here, I substitute fish sauce for chopped anchovies, for ease of ingredients. This is a perfect example of Southern Italian cooking; the flavors meld together in a beautiful tangle of brine, sweetness, and unctuousness.
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, sliced paper-thin
16 ounces crushed San Marzano tomatoes
½ cup Luques, Cerignola, or Picholine olives, halved and pitted
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon drained, rinsed capers
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound dried thin spaghetti
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
1. Fill a large stockpot with water and salt generously. Place over high heat and bring to a boil while you assemble the other ingredients.
2. Heat the oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stir with a wooden spoon and a full heart. Next, add the olives, fish sauce, capers, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce, over medium-low heat, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. When the sauce is simmering, add the dried pasta to the boiling water and cook for 6 to 8 minutes at a rolling boil until al dente. Ladle ¾ cup of the pasta water into the sauce before you drain the pasta. Add the spaghetti and parsley to the sauce, and continuously stir or toss over low heat until the pasta and the sauce are perfectly incorporated and the spaghetti finishes cooking.
4. Divide between two bowls and enjoy with a glass of Southern Italian red wine.