Puttanesca Sauce, of sorts

A month ago, I left work really late and didn't feel like spending any more than half an hour to make dinner. So I went to Newflower Farmer's Market picked up some hot italian sausage, some pasta, and a jar of marinara sauce (store brand, because that was all they had). Big mistake.

That sauce was so shitty! I kind of hated myself with every bite for inflicting this on myself. In all likelihood, if I had bought a real brand, like Classico instead of We-Love-Organic-Stuff-But-Can't-Make-Anything-Actually-Tasty brand, it would have been decent.

Normally, I make a basic sauce out of canned crushed tomatoes, fresh garlic, and dried herbs. It isn't outstanding (probably because I get impatient and don't simmer it long enough), but it works. But I wanted to try experimenting with fresh tomatoes... Actually I was thinking about making Chicken à la Provençal, but I changed my mind at the last second, and realized I had the same ingredients as what I need for Puttanesca sauce.

I'll spare you all the theories about how this sauce gets its name from the whores in Italy's days of yore. I had it for the first time at Asti Trattoria, and I was stunned. What makes it special is that it's full of really bold flavors. It's sweet from the fresh Roma tomatoes, spicy from the generous helping of red pepper flakes, and gives you a real kick from the garlic, olives, capers, and anchovies. And let it be known that 2 of my favorite things to cook with are garlic and anchovies.

The end result wasn't bad, but it wasn't restaurant quality yet. Granted I was only making a small batch, maybe enough for 2 or 3 servings, it needed more tomatoes and maybe some tomato paste to get the right thickness. And I definitely wussed out on how much capers and olives I put into it; I didn't think that the olives would mellow out so much. This recipe will definitely be revisited.

What's your usual solution for pasta sauce?

Ingredients:

- 7 fresh Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 anchovy fillets, flattened to a paste

- 2 tsp capers, drained and chopped finely

- 1 or 1.5 Tbsp olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (I prefer Niçoise olives, they're kind of like mini kalamatas)

- 1/2 cup red wine (I used a zinfandel)

- salt & black pepper (preferably coarsely crushed) to taste

Procedure:

1. In a sauce pan, bring the oil up to medium heat. Saute and mix the red pepper flakes, garlic, and anchovy paste until it all becomes fragrant (but not so long that the garlic begins to brown). Mix in the olives and capers, and let it heat up for 30 sec.

2. Add the tomatoes and wine to the saucepan, and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the pot to a low boil for a minute, and if you have a potato-masher or similar utensil, break up the tomatoes a little. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes (or when the tomatoes break down). Stir it frequently.

3. When the tomatoes have cooked down, and the sauce has thickened, season it with salt and black pepper to taste. Toss in your cooked pasta to coat it with the sauce.

I served it on spaghetti with chicken breast sauteed with just salt, coarse black pepper, fresh chopped rosemary, topped with some good extra virgin olive oil (the kind you don't put in a hot pan).

Like I said, I plan to attempt this again, but with more tomatoes, and some tomato paste. Oh, and more anchovies and olives. I guess restraint totally goes against the spirit of this sauce.