Pasta alla Puttanesca

Pasta alla Puttanesca

“Puttana” is the Italian word for prostitute and I love the apocryphal story of how Neapolitan pasta alla puttanesca was named. Most respectable Italian women used to (and some indeed still do) shop for fresh ingredients every day, but not the busy working girls of Naples who worked a 6-and-a-half day week it’s said. They had no time to visit the fresh food markets so had to make do with a quick but tasty pasta sauce made from pantry staples such as canned tomatoes, preserved anchovies, capers and olives. Sugo alla puttanesca is a very versatile sauce, delicious with any dried pasta and typically served with spaghetti or penne (I like the smooth version called ‘penne lisce’). Always use good Italian canned tomatoes, such as Mutti, and enjoy pasta alla puttanesca with a simple savoury red wine like the Mediterrané Sangiovese (Italian soul from Barossa soil). See the video below for everything you need to know to cook pasta like an Italian Nonna.

Serves 6 as a starter

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • Salt flakes, to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • Pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 400g Italian canned tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed and dried
  • 20 small olives
  • 500g dried pasta such as penne or spaghetti
  • Freshly grated pecorino cheese, for serving
Method
  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over low heat, add onion and a good pinch of salt and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, until tender.
  2. Meanwhile, put a large saucepan of well-salted water (10g salt/litre water) on to boil.
  3. Stir garlic, anchovies and chilli into the onion and cook for a further minute or so until well combined.
  4. Add tomato, crushing well with a wooden spoon to break it up, and bring to the boil.
  5. Reduce heat, stir in capers and olives, and simmer for 10 minutes or so, while the pasta cooks.
  6. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water for a minute or so less than the packet instructions, until almost al dente.
  7. Drain pasta, reserving the cooking water.
  8. Add pasta to the sauce with a couple of tablespoons of cooking water and mix together over medium heat until pasta is just al dente, adding a little more cooking water if necessary to give it a good sheen.
  9. Spoon into warmed shallow bowls, top with pecorino and serve immediately.

Share page on:

How To Cook Pasta Like A Nonna

Join Me Soon

What Other Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken from the Chinese class the other night. Once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better than going out to restaurants as the recipes and quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Pam (Cammeray, NSW)
Pam (Cammeray, NSW)
Read More
Your recipes are something I always feel confident offering guests and also reasonable in the time to prepare. We often try your recommended wines and suppliers and enjoy your travel tales too!
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic Ingredients and quality produce. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to. And I love listening to the themed playlist while cooking.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving Be Inspired! There are ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Deb (Belconnen, ACT)
Deb (Belconnen, ACT)
Read More
Awesome fun traveling through Emilia-Romagna experiencing first hand some of the produce I've worked with over the last couple of years cooking with Roberta's classes – the family are reaping the benefits now.
Judith (Woronora, NSW)
Judith (Woronora, NSW)
Read More
Food, wine and travel! Three of my favourite things! Be Inspired with Roberta has been a wonderful experience and given me more confidence in the kitchen. I have learnt so much, cooked things I never would have attempted without Roberta’s excellent videos, and used ingredients I have never tried before.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from Roberta's online cooking classes. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)