Rigatoni Puttanesca

Name: Rigatoni Puttanesca
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 red onion, finely diced; Salt flakes, to taste; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil; Pinch dried chilli flakes; 500g Italian canned tomatoes, chopped; 2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed; 20 small black olives; ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese; 500g rigatoni pasta

‘Puttana’ is the Italian word for prostitute and I love the story of how pasta 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 six-and-a-half day week. 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. Puttanesca is a very versatile sauce, delicious with any dried pasta, including spaghetti and penne (I like the smooth version called ‘penne lisce’). Always use good Italian canned tomatoes, such as Mutti, and enjoy rigatoni puttanesca with a simple savoury red wine, like the Mediterrané Sangiovese (Italian soul from Barossa soil). See the video below for another easy southern Italian pasta dish.

Serves 4 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 in olive oil
Pinch dried chilli flakes
400g crushed Italian canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed
20 small black olives
500g rigatoni pasta
⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method

Heat oil in a saucepan, add onion and a good pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft.
Stir in garlic, anchovies and chilli and cook for another minute or so until well combined.
Add tomato, crushing well with a wooden spoon to break it up, and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat, add capers and olives, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, while the pasta cooks.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just al dente.
Drain pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and toss through the sauce, adding a little of the reserved water if it’s too dry.
Serve topped with parmesan cheese.