Italian Pasta Classics - Fusilli Puttanesca

Happy New Year! It will shock no one that we resolve to cook and, more importantly, eat even more great food in 2015. I hope you'll come along for the ride. To this end, it is time again for Italian Pasta Classics, and this week, we are exploring one of most storied sauces Southern Italy has ever given us - Puttanesca. It also happens to be one of my top five favorite pasta preparations of all time - capers, olives, anchovies - I ask you, what's not to love!?  Now to the name, oh, the name. Yeesh. Puttanesca means, how to put this, in the style of the... not-so-nice-word for practicers of the proverbial "oldest profession." The more you know, as they say. 

Puttanesca Sauce, Photo: NK 

There are various accounts of origins of this deliciously easy dish. Probably the most ubiquitous is the anecdote that Pasta Puttanesca was something quickly thrown together from common pantry items, thus making it the ideal sustenance for these working women in between appointments. For my own part, I was surprised to learn that the dish, or at least the name, is relatively young. Several sources trace it only as far back as the middle of the 20th century (figures, right?).  As food lore goes, the popularly accepted story of Puttanesca is pretty well known, however I recently read a very interesting article that posited that despite the name, the dish may not have had much to do with sex workers at all. The author aptly notes that "Sex workers aren't the only people who appreciate quick, aromatic meals." Her theory on the origin has been batted around before, though less often. Check out the full article here. As you will note, there's not to an exact recipe for this dish conceived in imprecision, but I invite your to try our favorite iteration of it today. What you do after you eat it is most definitely your own business. Enjoy! 

Fusilli Puttanesca
Serves 4 as an entree 

Castelvetrano & Gaeta Olives, Photo: NK

Lightly Adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Ingredients:
1 35 Ounce Can whole San Marzano Tomatoes 
1 Pound Fusilli
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
3 Large Garlic Cloves, smashed
1 Cup Gaeta or similar Olives
3/4 Cup Castelvetrano Olives, or other meaty, firm and bright green variety such as Cerignola
5-6 high quality Anchovy Fillets
1/2 Cup Italian Parsley, chopped
1/4 Cup Capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
Toasted breadcrumbs (if you need a topping, but not usually necessary)

Method: 
1. Start a large pot of salted water boiling for the pasta. Add the Fusilli as soon as it comes to a boil and cook for 9 minutes for al dente. 

A sauce that is both gorgeous & flavorful, Photo: NK

2. Pit the Olives by smashing them with a heavy, flat object such as the bottom on the pan and removing the pit. Coarsely chop the Olives and set aside.

3. In a very large skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the Garlic Cloves and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until they begin to brown. Place the Anchovies in the pan and break the up a bit using a wooden spoon. Add the Olives and cook 2 more minutes until they sizzle. Add the Tomatoes along with their juices and mash them using a potato masher until the large chunks are broken up. Add the Crushed Red Pepper.

4. Allow sauce to boil and then lower the heat to where it stays at an energetic simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and add the Capers. 

5. By this time your pasta should be done. Drain it through a colander and add the pasta to the skillet containing the sauce. Turn up the flame to medium and add the Parsley. Stir. Remove skillet from the flame and check for seasoning (a very little bit of salt may be needed) and serve! 
**Special thanks to Cousin Julie for the delicious homegrown and hand canned tomatoes!! 

Passport to Italy - Pasta di San Giovanello

Lately, I've been thinking more and more about returning to Italy. Maybe it's this seemingly endless cold weather we've been experiencing, or perhaps that unshakeable late winter feeling of needing a vacation! Whatever the cause, I take great pleasure in conjuring up memories of last summer's trip to Rome and the Amalfi coast. 

Me and the Mr. overlooking gorgeous Positano 

Since European travel doesn't seem to be in the cards this year, those remote Southern Italian towns I dream of exploring will have to come to me by way of my dinner plate (not a bad way to do some imaginary travel). 

I decided not to include today's delicious vegetarian pasta as part of our series, Italian Pasta Classics, which, if you've been following, is the feature where I share the recipes for Italy's most loved and famed pasta dishes. This is because "Pasta di San Giovanello", a specialty native to Puglia (the region that makes up the heel of the Italian boot), seems to fly just a bit under the radar. 

Pasta di San Giovanello - Tomato Sauce, Breadcrumbs, Melted Anchovy, Garlic and Almonds, Photo: NK 

Thanks to an extremely informal poll of a small group of food-savvy native Southern Italians in my circle, I determined that though just a few people had heard of the dish, there was significant disagreement about its true ingredients. One Sicilian-born friend observed that he knew Pasta di San Giovanello to be something more like Puttanesca sauce. 

Mario Batali, from whom we borrow today's recipe, does indeed note that the components of this hearty and satisfying Southern Italian dish are hotly contested (particularly today's addition of sliced almonds). What follows below is the recipe Mario describes as his favorite iteration of the dish to date, one that he enjoyed in a small osteria in the town of Brindisi on the very important feast day this pasta is named for - the eve of the feast of St. John the Baptist (aka: San Giovanni Battista or San Giovanello) which is marked on June 24th, though celebrations vary worldwide, some taking place on the eve of the feast, some the day of, and others continuing for several! Rest assured, though ingredients vary, this dish is just delicious. It's also a great way to stretch a small portion of leftover tomato sauce (just 1.5 cups is needed for a dish that feeds 4 to 6 people). And away we go: 

St. John's Eve Pasta/Pasta di San Giovanello
Recipe by Mario Batali, from Molto Italiano 
Serves 6

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Sliced Blanched Almonds
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cups fresh or store-bought plain Bread Crumbs 
4 fine quality Anchovies, salt (or oil) packed, chopped
Black Pepper
1 White Onion, finely chopped
1 large clove Garlic, finely chopped 
1.5 Cups Tomato Sauce of your choice or Mario's Recipe HERE 
8 Fresh Basil Leaves, chiffonade (aka cut into thin ribbons).
1 Pound long, wide pasta such as Lasagnette, Pappardelle or (Mafalde - what we used) 


Method: 

Almond and Bread Crumb Mixture, Photo: NK

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil - use about 2 tablespoons salt. 

2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, gently toast the sliced almonds and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over a medium flame until nuts begin to brown just a bit. Remove almonds to a plate. 

3. In the remaining oil, toast the bread crumbs, stirring them often until the become golden brown and somewhat crispy. Combine breadcrumbs and almonds in a bowl and set aside. 

4. Add 2 Tablespoons additional olive oil to the pan you used for the breadcrumbs. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the anchovies, using your spoon to crush them into the oil so they begin to dissolve. Stir until they melt into the oil, this should take a minute or so. Pour the anchovy and oil mixture over the breadcrumbs and almond mix and season it with black pepper before setting aside. 

Sauce Coming Together, Photo: NK 

5. Add the remaining 5 Tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until onions soften but do not brown. Stir occasionally, about 2-3 minutes. 

6. Add the tomato sauce to the pan with the onion and bring the mixture to a "brisk simmer" and let it cook until the sauce has reduced by about one third in volume. Add basil ribbons and turn heat off. 

7. By this time your pasta water should be boiling. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package directions until just al dente. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce. Add half of the almond and breadcrumb mixture and toss to combine well. 

8. Transfer the pasta to warmed serving bowls and sprinkle them with the leftover breadcrumb mixture. Serve right away! 

Italian Pasta Classics - Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

Photo: NK 

Welcome to Part II of our Italian Pasta Classics series, where we share the very best in traditional pasta dishes for your viewing and eating pleasure.

Check out Part I HERE.

Today, we want you to know about Aglio Olio e Peperoncino - or pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper. This rustic, peasant meal has been claimed by much of Southern Italy. A few sources believe it originated in Abruzzo, but the jury is still out. 

Let's just agree that this ever so simple dish belongs to the nation itself, and that in the pantheon of authentic pasta recipes, it is most certainly one of the greats.

Anchovy haters: be brave.
The anchovy fillets melt into the oil as you warm it and become virtually undetectable. If you use good quality imported anchovy fillets, ideally packed in oil, I can assure you that the finished dish will have absolutely no fishy taste. The anchovies themselves lend a complexity to the flavors that is, I believe, absolutely essential. Still, you are more than welcome to make this recipe without them, but I happen to think you'll be missing out! Some (questionable) recipes also call for grated parmigiana or pecorino, but I don't recommend it.

You could make this dish with regular spaghetti, linguine, or any other long pasta. We opted for Spaghetti alla Chitarra. Cut on an implement called the Chitarra (it is strung with wire much like the eponymous guitar), the resulting pasta takes the form of long, thin ribbons with square, rather than rounded edges. Why make Aglio Olio e Peperoncino? It is easy, fast, delicious and cheap! Feeding a family of four for well under dollars 10 is no problem with this recipe. 
Buon appetito!

 ~This meal was made in loving memory of Grandma Peg who will be dearly missed. 

Photo: NK 

Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
Serves 4 

Ingredients:
1 Lb Spaghetti or other long pasta (we used Spaghetti alla Chitarra)
6 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
7 Anchovy fillets packed in oil (imported) 
7 medium or large Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (less if you prefer mild spice)

2/3 Cup Italian Parsley, most of it finely chopped, a few sprigs reserved for garnish
Approximately 1/3 Cup Pasta Water
Salt
Black Pepper

Method:
1. Set a pot of salted pasta water to boil and then cook the pasta according to package instructions until it is almost al dente. Drain, reserving about a 1/2 cup of pasta water. 

2. In a very large skillet, warm the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the anchovy fillets and let them cook until they dissolve fully into the oil. You can use a wooden spoon to stir and help them along. 

3. Once anchovies have fully dissolved you can add the garlic. Lower the heat to low so that garlic does not burn. Add the crushed red pepper as well as the black pepper. Cook the garlic for a few minutes (about 3) taking care not to burn it. 

4. Add about a 1/3 cup pasta water to the pan. Add the cooked pasta, and toss on the parsley. Turn up the heat a bit and toss the pasta in the skillet for 1 or 2 minutes until everything is coated. Season with additional black pepper and taste for salt. Add more only if needed. Serve immediately with a sprig of parsley and enjoy!