Pasta puttanesca, the original recipe from Italy

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Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a typical Italian pasta dish (mostly from Campania and Lazio) with tomatoes, olive oil, olives, anchovies and capers. The English translation is funny and it always gives up for jokes because pasta alla puttanesca means “pasta of the whore”. According to unknow sources, this was the dish prepared into the brothels to attract men.

It’s considered one of the most representative dish of the Italian cooking because of its saltiness and tastiness and because of the presence of chili pepper which makes this pasta hot enough to be perfectly Italian.

Pasta puttanesca: ingredients for 4 portions

400 grams of spaghetti
500 grams of red tomatoes (fresh or canned ones)
100 grams of pitted black olives
4 anchovies
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon capers
parsley
chili pepper
extra virgin olive oil
salt

Pasta puttanesca: recipe

1. Heat the oil in a pan then add the peeled garlic, the chilli, the chopped anchovies, sliced olives and capers cut in half. Sauté all the ingredients then add the tomatoes and cook for up to 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
2. Add salt to taste and add chopped parsley after cooking.
3. Cook the spaghetti al dente then drain them and pour into the pan with the sauce. Sauté for a few minutes and serve the spaghetti puttanesca with fresh parsley.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Are you looking for more Italian Italian pasta dishes? Have a look here and start cooking pasta like an Italian!