3 WORDS. QUICK, EASY, DINNER.

| rtatarelli

After a long day of university, work or whatever you spend your time doing, quite often making dinner becomes a dreaded chore. This section of EatWithRLT aims to make this a chore no more. Quick, easy dinner ideas will be tested out and reviewed for readers. This is to make the point that sometimes the best cooked meals are in fact created in your own home. 

Last night I decided to make pasta with puttanesca sauce and a side salad. Puttanesca is quite easily one of my favourite sauces to pair with pasta (it’s also super quick and easy to make). I have provided the particular recipe I follow down below for you to try out when you’re wanting to put a twist on your standard tomato sauce. For the side salad, I tossed together some cos lettuce, radicchio and dressed it with olive oil, salt and lemon. Simplicity at its finest. 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • One 35-ounce can whole peeled Italian tomatoes with their juices, crushed by hand
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 2 basil sprigs
  • 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • 1 tablespoons capers, drained
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

Method 

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic, anchovies and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden (about 5 minutes).

2. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

3. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices. Stir in the sugar, basil, olives and capers. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. 

4. Simmer the sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and is reduced to 3 cups, about 30 minutes. 

5. Season again with salt and pepper. Discard the basil sprigs and garlic (or keep them in for extra flavour).

The combination of anchovies, olives and capers gives the ordinary napoletana sauce an exciting flavoursome twist.

Buon Appetito!  

References 

Parisi G, 2007, Puttanesca Sauce, Food and Wine, 12th November 2019, https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/puttanesca-sauce

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