Brown-Nosing The Boss

In December 2008, I volunteered to cater my office’s Holiday Party. Around the same time, I invited one of the owners to lunch, just to get to know him a little bit better. At that lunch, I learned three things: he was a self-declared introvert, he enjoyed pinot noirs, and he loved pasta puttanesca, but only if it’s done right. Knowing that he also didn’t eat meat, I decided to add pasta puttanesca to the Holiday Party. I’ll never know if he liked it, but we do. Since all of the ingredients already exist in our kitchen arsenal, it’s perfect for those nights we’re too lazy to figure out dinner; kind of like one night this week, when both of us realized it was already 6:00 PM and neither of us were in the mood to get dressed to go out. [K]

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Pasta Puttanesca

~ Serves ~

4

~ Ingredients ~

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 2-oz. tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• Handful (1/4 cup) black olives
• 3 tbsp. capers
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or 14.5 oz. can of crushed tomatoes)
• 2 tomatoes (or 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes)
• 1 handful Italian parsley
• Small handful oregano (1/2 tbsp.)
• Small handful basil (1 tbsp.)
• 12 oz. spaghetti
• Parmesan / Romano cheese, to finish

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile:
2. Mince garlic (or run through garlic press) and dice olives; set aside. Open cans of tomatoes. Open tin of anchovy fillets.
3. Finely chop fresh Italian parsley leaves. Save stems for another use.
4. Finely chop fresh oregano leaves. Discard stems. Finely slice basil leaves. Discard stems.
5. In a 2-4-qt. casserole pot, pour in 1 tbsp. of oil from the tin of anchovy fillets. Add crushed red pepper flakes and heat over medium-high heat for about 20 seconds. Turn heat down to medium. Add in garlic and anchovy fillets and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add olives, capers, tomatoes, basil and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Toss sauce with cooked spaghetti, plate, garnish with fresh Italian parsley and serve immediately with grate of Parmesan or Romano.

Nutrition content per serving: 434 calories, 78g carbs, 14g protein, 8g fat, 6g fiber

Cost per serving: $1.60

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

What can you make with your existing kitchen items?

Tagged as: Anchovy, Basil, Capers, Oregano, Tomato