Serves 4 | Ready in about 35 minutes
A punchy, pantry-staple Neapolitan sauce of tomato, olives, capers and anchovy. The fusilli spirals grab every bit of it.
Ingredients
- 500g fusilli
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 6 anchovy fillets in oil, chopped
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 800g tinned whole peeled tomatoes
- 100g kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp salt, for the pasta water
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and season with the salt.
- In a large, wide pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic, anchovies and chilli flakes and cook gently for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the anchovies melt into the oil and the garlic is just golden. Add the fresh tomatoes and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes until they start to soften and break down.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, crushing them with your hands or a spoon as they go in. Stir in the olives, capers and oregano. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until thickened and glossy.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the fusilli until a minute short of al dente. Save a mug of pasta water before draining.
- Tip the drained fusilli into the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Toss over the heat for a minute or two until the sauce clings to every spiral, adding more water if it looks tight.
- Stir through most of the parsley, taste (it rarely needs salt), and serve with the remaining parsley and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Notes
Traditionally there's no parmesan on puttanesca, but nobody's checking. For extra depth, add a tablespoon of tomato paste with the garlic, or swap the kalamatas for smaller Ligurian-style olives. A bronze-die fusilli with a rough surface holds this sauce best.
