Pasta alla Puttanesca

Join my food & wine tour to Southern Italy to discover more Italian regional specialties!
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 savoury red wine like biodynamic La Chiave sangiovese from Julian Castagna in Beechworth, Victoria. 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 (60ml)
  • 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 (14oz)
  • 2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed and dried (35g/1¼oz)
  • 20 small olives
  • 500g dried pasta such as penne or spaghetti (1lb 2oz)
  • 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 on to boil, using 10g salt/litre water (⅓oz salt/2 pints water).
  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 few 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.
Download a Print Friendly Version

Share page on:

How To Cook Pasta Like A Nonna

See more Recipe Videos

What Other Travellers Say

Diane (Cremorne Point, NSW, Aus)
Diane (Cremorne Point, NSW, Aus)
Relaxed, organised and well-paced – a wonderful bespoke small group tour, starting in Rome, then travelling down the Amalfi Coast to stay at a family estate where we were treated like old friends. This tour included some hidden gems too, notably on our way to Matera, a fascinating town built into the side of a mountain. We finished with Naples and Pompeii – with plenty of wine and more new tastes. Roberta is a specialist and very personable as she hosts and explains every detail of the food and wine experience.
Belinda (Balmain, NSW, Aus)
Belinda (Balmain, NSW, Aus)
I’ve been on three of Roberta’s food and wine tours so far and each one has been an amazing well-organised experience. From historic Rome and Pompeii to the spectacular Amalfi Coast, remarkable Venice and the charming villages of Switzerland, each tour offers something special. Then there’s the food in fabulous places where you can truly eat like a local. I highly recommend Roberta’s tours to anyone who wants to discover inspired travel through great food, wine and company. I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Michael (Cremorne, NSW, Aus)
Michael (Cremorne, NSW, Aus)
Starting in Rome then spending time on the Amalfi Coast and further south before heading back to Rome for the last couple of days made for a nice ‘round trip’. Roberta’s choice of eateries was excellent with some very enjoyable meals – and a nice mix of other activities, like vineyard visits, between meals. Everything was very well organised: transport, nice hotels in close proximity to most activities, and a relaxed pace with enough time to follow your nose if that took your fancy. A very worthwhile tour and I’m already looking forward to another!
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)