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Pasta Puttanesca
Have on hand
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, as needed
1 large onion, small dice
6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped (Kalamata or any olive you wish)
1.5 tablespoons capers, drained and rough chopped
½ teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped, optional
1.5 pounds fresh tomatoes, or 1 large can (28 ounces) oven roasted tomatoes
2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
10 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
Parmigiano Reggiano, as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large saute pan, over medium heat add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus the onions, then cook until translucent and lightly colored, stirring periodically to prevent burning, approximately five minutes. Next add the garlic, stir to combine, and cook until fragrant, one minute. Now add the dried chili flakes, black olives, capers, oregano, and tomatoes, then stir to combine. Bring to a slow simmer, now add the balsamic vinegar. Let reduce until thickened, season to taste. Toss the pasta with about a cup of sauce to coat, then plate the pasta, topping each plate with more sauce. Finish with the freshly chopped herbs, a few long shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Pasta*
Spaghetti or vermicelli pasta*
In a large pot bring some water to a rolling boil. Add enough Kosher or sea salt to the water until the water tastes like the ocean. This is the only time that we are able to season the pasta properly. Add the pasta, stir, and cook according to package directions – al dente. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water, then drain, and quickly toss with the sauce. Adding some of the cooking water if the sauce gets too thick.
Serves: 4
About Joe Lamp'l
Joe Lamp'l is the Host and Executive Producer of the award winning PBS television series Growing A Greener World. Off camera, Joe dedicates his time to promoting sustainability through his popular books, blog, podcast series, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns. Follow Joe on Twitter
You missed the anchovies which is one of the other salty ingredients along capers and olives. This recipe comes from Naples and where developed by the prostitutes 100 years ago. Because of their condition the where allowed to go to the market only once a week and that is why the used to by products that lasted for the whole week. (Olives, capers and anchovies )
Saw Nathan do this for the first time on “Lyon in the kitchen”….it’s become one of my favorites! and healthy..added benefit 🙂
Oh – just saw in one of the comments you posted that you used kalamata olives – couldn’t tell from watching vid and wasn’t in list of ingredients! thx!
Hi Alice,
Nathan used Kalamata, but he mentions in the comments that ANY olive would work (even green). He changes it up every time he makes it. But just to be clear, I added a note to the ingredients. Thanks for the heads up.
I am so thrilled to find a pasta recipe that uses capers. Have just gotten acquainted with them and they add such wonderful flavor to any pasta dish! Thanks for the recipe! I will definately try it. Camielle
We watched your Pasta Puttanesca show tonight and I thought I’d missed the part about how those green thingees got in (under the cheese you sliced in). They were visible on your cutting board, but you never talked about them or showed what to to with them. I presume that they are the parsley and basil. I watched the same video on this web site and still didn’t see/hear anything about the greens.
Looks like a yummy recipe and I’ll try it soon. I especially liked your tip about putting some sauce in with the pasta to keep it from sticking. Never thought of that for my hundreds of pots of spaghetti cooked so far :O(
Great show!
New fan,
Lon
Looks amazing! Going to get ingredients for this right now to prepare for dinner. Thanks for the recipe and I can’t wait to try the others I see 🙂
Hello, Jane!
The wonderful thing about olives is that they not only contribute a certain briny quality but also a delicious texture as well. For the recipe, I used Kalamata packed in olive oil. That said, I also use these (pointing at the bottle in my hand) amazing Sicilian style California green olives packed in an herbed brine that I get from the farmers market. So in short, use your favorite variety, or do as I do, and grab a mixture of what you happen to have in the fridge. They are olives after all. How could you possibly go wrong?!? Have a great weekend, and thanks for taking the time out to contact me! Best.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ll be using the last of my garden tomatoes and combining them with one of my favorites, capers! But I have to ask, were the black olives you were using Kalamata olives?
Thank you!
John, John, JOHN! If you only knew just how much fun we have in that kitchen … but perhaps, after watching the shows, you already do. I am SO glad you enjoy the cooking segments. Picture this, four men: me, Joe, and our two uber-talented camera/sound guys. And that’s it. Add to that mix, an insane amount of laughter (between the equally insane amount of hard work) and that’s what you get: fun, professional, cooking segments. And believe me when I tell you that I often rambled on during each cooking segment for upwards of fifteen to twenty minutes! God bless Carl, our Director of Photography, who also doubles as the editor. With my passion for fresh food? Not an easy task to edit down those segments. Thanks again, John, for your time, and for your very kind words of support.
Thanks for the fantastic recipes…not only are they great, your delivery is phenominal!
Hello Scott! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to leave a comment. The pleasure is mine. I love hearing what people enjoy so that I can design more recipes accordingly for season two! This recipe is one of my favorites. So much flavor, all packed into one dish. Enjoy!
This looks fantastic Nathan! Thanks for sharing this with us!