Name: Capellini alla Tarantina (Capellini with Tomato, Caper and Anchovy Sauce)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a first course, or 3 as a main course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon capers; 4-5 fresh basil leaves, torn; 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 375 g (12 oz) capellini; 500 g (1 lb) fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled, or a 397 g can of tomatoes, chopped roughly; 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 small piece of dried chilli, or more according to taste, crumbled; 6 anchovy fillets, chopped; salt

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a first course

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
30 min

Appears in

Pasta-lover's Cookbook

By Anna Del Conte

Published 1994

About

The capers used in Italy are the kind preserved under salt, which are sweeter than those preserved in vinegar or brine. If you use the latter, rinse them under cold water before adding to the sauce.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
500 g (1 lb) fresh ripe tomatoes

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, garlic and the chilli. Cook, uncovered, at a steady simmer, for about 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Mix in the anchovy fillets and the capers and cook for a further 2 minutes, mashing the anchovies with a fork. Taste and add salt, if necessary.
Meanwhile cook the pasta accordin