Linguine Alla Puttanesca

LINGUINE ALLA PUTTANESCA
Linguine with tomatoes, capers and black olives

This typical Neapolitan dish is sometimes referred to as Pasta alla Marinara or simplyas Con Olive e Capperi, which are common ingredients in this part of Italy. The name Puttanesca came about in the mid twentieth century when it was claimed that this dish was served in the brothels of Naples - puttana means ‘whore’ in Italian. Another theory was that a restaurant owner on the island of Ischia put together this dish when a group of late-night customers asked him to make Una Puttanata Qualsiasi – in other words, make whatever you’ve got to hand. And that is exactly what he did with the ingredients he found in his kitchen. Whatever the reason behind its title, this spicy pasta dish is quick and simple to prepare with store cupboard ingredients.

Serves four

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and left whole
• 4 anchovy fillets
• ½ red chilli, finely chopped
• 40g (1½ oz) capers
• 2 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes
• Couple of pinches of dried oregano
• 80g (3oz) pitted black olives
• 320g (11½ oz) dried linguine
• Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• sea salt

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic, anchovy fillets, chilli and capers and sweat over a medium heat until the anchovies have dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano and a little salt to taste. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the olives and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the linguine and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente.
3. Drain the linguine, reserving a little of the pasta cooking water, then add both to the tomato sauce. Cook over a high heat for a minute, mixing well.
4. Remove from the heat, discard the garlic, then stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

Gennaro’s Cucina: Hearty Money-Saving Meals from an Italian Kitchen by Gennaro Contaldo is published by Pavilion Books, price £25
Pictures: David Loftus.

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