Twirling the puttanesca onto my fork, I was reminded of my date nights with hubby, Jake, when we used to troop over to our favorite Italian resto, Cosa Nostra in Malate when it was still abuzz with the gimmick peeps.
We would order plates of light-coated pasta that were peppered with sauces that tasted fresh, light and very Italian. The ingredients they used were nothing but top quality, authentic and flavor loaded. Am totally clueless now, though, how they are today, 10:29 PM of November 16, 2010!
Fast forward to today, I decided to dish out some puttanesca to go with the chardonnay that begged to team up with the pasta. Awesome, I knew we were in for a great dining chitchat with the yummy food at the backdrop.
Just a sidebar– puttanesca is always best with mashed anchovies. It binds the flavors together and defines its flagship taste. Easy to make and delightful to eat!
Puttanesca
1/4 kilo spaghetti noodles
1 can Del Monte tomato sauce (petite cut)
3/4 cup olive oil
1 head of garlic, minced
3 pcs anchovy fillets, mashed
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 cup capers
1/2 tsps chilli flakes
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp chopped parsley for garnishing
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Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a skillet, saute garlic, anchovies, capers, chilli flakes and olives. Add tomato sauce. Simmer for about ten minutes.
Toss in cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with cheese. Top with chopped parsley for garnishing.
The Eating Room 
It’s the best!!!=)
yummy. i like my pasta simple and oil or tomato-based! 😀
Your pasta dish looks yummy! In your recipe, it says tomato sauce but why are there red bits that look like tomatoes in your photo? Should I use tomato sauce or canned diced/crushed/whole tomatoes? Thanks.
Hi, Mommy Marie! Glad to hear from you again. I used the Del Monte petite cut tomato sauce. Loosely, tomato sauce refers to any sauce that uses tomatoes as the main ingredient, whether diced, sliced, crushed or made into puree. Thanks!!
Thanks for your reply! By the way, you owe me the recipe of your Hainanese Chicken Rice and the repost of your lasagna. Obvious ba na avid follower? Thanks again.
Thanks for your reply! By the way, you owe me the recipe of your Hainanese Chicken Rice and the repost of your cheesy lasagna. Obvious ba na avid follower? Thanks again.
Ma’am, are you referring to the small can of tomato sauce when you say petite cut? Please enlighten me as i am new to this wonderful world of cooking.
Hi, Ely. When I said ‘petite cut’, I was referring to a type of tomato cut. I bought the canned Del Monte petite cut (1 size only). Thanks for swinging by my site:)
cosa nostra! Blast from the past!
I know, right? Lol.
this is my favorite pasta of all time, i must say. so lets make your “cook for me day” happen. miss you so much! 😦
I love puttanesca, happy you write about this nice pasta! I was caught by the wine comment: the pasta begging for chardonnay. Obviously I don’t know which chardonnay you drink with it, but in general I never have found wine of this grape having enough acidity to pair with any tomato sauce based dish…might I advise to go, especially with this dish, with a wine from the region of the dish, like a fresh fiano, or even more on the spot a greco di tufo. If that’s hard to find, a better soave, like from Inama, Pieropan, and the likes of them would do fine.