Recipe: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca! What is 'Prostitute's Spaghetti’ and why should you learn to cook it?
The naughtily named spaghetti alla Puttanesca, literally prostitute’s spaghetti, is a perfect 'I’ve-got-nothing-in-the-fridge-and-I-can’t-be-bothered-to-go-to-the-shop’ solution. Garlic, tomato, olives, capers, chilli, spaghetti. Easy peasy.
Posted on Tue 2 Jul 2019 · by Oliver Haenlein
Savoury, salty Mediterranean deliciousness - a classic pasta dish! It's incredibly easy, quick and economical to make, plus many of these ingredients are already in our fridges and kitchen cabinets, just waiting to be used.
So what’s with the name?
There are different theories. The most interesting story is that it was created by the 'working girls' in the brothels of Naples in the 1950s, because it was simple and speedy to put together.
The other explanation makes interesting reading too. The word 'puttana' - literally a derogatory word for a prostitute, is often used as a general swearword, and in the case of 'puttanata' is used to mean something like ‘bullsh*t’. A story goes that when a restauranteur in Ischia, an island in the gulf of Naples, was asked to cook for some guests, he found his cupboards bare and grudgingly told them he had nothing for them. They replied, just knock up any old ‘puttanata’ - any old crap. All he had was a few capers, olives, tomatoes etc, and Spaghetti all Puttanesca was born!
Feeling lazy? A bit tight for cash? Want something super tasty? Cook yourself a delicious Puttanesca!
Puttanesca Sauce
Serves 4
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of dry chilli flakes
- 5 anchovies, roughly chopped
- 6 stoneless olives, halved
- 10 capers
- 1 x 400g tin of good quality chopped tomatoes or tomato passata
- Large pinch of finely chopped fresh parsley
1 In a frying pan, fry the garlic, anchovy and chilli flakes in the olive oil l on a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until the garlic is lightly browned and the anchovy has mostly melted into the oil.
2 Add the tomatoes, capers and olives and simmer for another 5/10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced. Add the chopped parsley, and a little salt and pepper if it is needed (the ingredients are already quite salty so go easy!) Simmer for another 2 minutes. Mix with pasta and serve!