Spaghetti alla puttanesca

Name: Spaghetti alla puttanesca (Spaghetti with anchovy fillets and olives)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 1 tbsp capers; 125 g/4½ oz/¾ cup black olives, pitted and sliced; salt; 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 small fresh chilli, seeds and ribs removed, sliced; 500 g/1 lb 2 oz fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips; 350 g/12 oz spaghetti; 3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 8 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped, or 4 salted anchovies, cleaned, rinsed and chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 2 tbsp olio santo

Spaghetti with anchovy fillets and olives

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Anna Del Conte on Pasta

By Anna Del Conte

Published 2015

About

This now-famous recipe from Rome has its origins in the poor district of Trastevere, the traditional haunt of Roman prostitutes. Its name (a puttana is a prostitute) no doubt owes something to the fact that it is a hot sauce, very quickly made. It is also delicious.

Ingredients

350 g/12 oz spaghetti
3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Drop the spaghetti into boiling salted water.

In a large frying pan, combine the oil, anchovies, garlic and chilli and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers, and cook for a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

When the spaghetti is ready, drain and add to the frying pan together with the parsley. Pour over the olio santo and stir-fry for 1 minute, u