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Writer's pictureThe Dinner Diary

Pasta Puttanesca


This recipe is step by step 100% out of Samin Nosrats cook book SALTFATACIDHEAT. And let me tell you, the book is amaaaazing!

I fell in love with Samins cook book the second I got it this Christmas. It’s probably the first cook book I’ve ever sat and read every page from and I can already tell how much it has changed me as a cook. Getting that salt, fat, acid, and heat balance is a skill but an easy one and ANYONE can learn. And this recipe is one that’s all about the salt and fat. 


A simple tomato pomarola sauce, garlic, anchovies, black olives, salt packed capers and glugs of the best olive oil. It may sound all a bit much but I promise you, it’s rich, it’s powerful and full of flavour and a dish that I can’t pull myself away from. 


We also made our own tagliatelle for this dish. Another of the Christmas gadgets. We use Jamie Olivers basic pasta dough recipe which you can find on his website. 1 egg to 100g of 00’ flour per person. 



Pasta alla Puttanesca

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, sliced thinly

salt

4 garlic cloves

4 x 400g tinned tomatoes

175ml olive oil


2 garlic cloves

16 fresh basil leaves or 1 tablespoon of dried oregano

10 minced anchovy fillets

55g pitted black olives

1 tbsp rinsed salt-packed capers


Chopped parsley to garnish


METHOD

We start off by making a pasta all Pomarola sauce, around 1.8 litres worth, you won't need all of it for this recipe so put the rest in the freezer for another day, you can use it for pasta, chicken, pizza base, anything.


Set a large heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat. When the pot is hot add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. When the oil shimmers, add the onions. Season with salt and reduce the heat stirring from time to time to prevent burning. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.

While the onions cook, slice the 4 garlic cloves, and open the tins of tomatoes.

Once onions are soft, push them to the outer edges of the pot and add a spoonful of oil in the centre. Add the garlic to the oil. Gently sizzle the garlic until it stars to give off an aroma, about 20 seconds, pour in the tomatoes. Season with salt and basil or oregano.

Cook over a low heat for 40 minutes. When the sauce has cooked for the specified time pour in 175ml of olive oil. Let it simmer together for a couple of minutes, the sauce will transform into a rich sauces as it emulsifies. Remove from the heat and adjust seasoning.


Now is when you turn it from a Pomarola sauce into a Puttanesca sauce.


Set a large frying pan over a medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers add 2 cloves of minced garlic and the minced anchovy fillets and cook gently until the garlic starts to give off an aroma.

Add 450ml of the Pomarola sauce, the chopped olives and capers. Season to taste with pepper, salt and lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes.


Serve with fresh or dried pasta.


Enjoy!




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