RECIPE: Spaghetti puttanesca

This quick pasta relies on just a handful of Mediterranean ingredients - olives, tomatoes, anchovies and capers - to deliver big, bold flavours

05 April 2016 - 16:32
By Hilary Biller
Spaghetti puttanesca.
Image: Craig Scott Spaghetti puttanesca.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

45ml (3 tbsp) finely chopped fresh parsley

2.5ml (½ tsp) dried oreganum

3 anchovy fillets, cut into strips

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

85ml (1/3 cup) black olives, pitted and halved

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped

60ml (¼ cup) capers, drained

400g spaghetti

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic until softened. Add the parsley and oreganum and stir until fragrant. Add the anchovies, tomatoes, olives, chilli and capers and simmer until the sauce thickens.

2) Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente and drain, reserving 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water.

3) Add the drained pasta and reserved cooking water to the sauce, mix to coat, heat through and serve immediately.