Name: Penne puttanesca
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: fresh parsley, leaves finely chopped, to garnish (optional); 1 large grabbing handful (around 150 g) of small but interesting black and green olives, pitted and barely chopped; 3 tablespoons olive oil; ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; 2 tablespoons tomato purée; 400 g can of good chopped tomatoes; 400 g penne pasta; 2 tablespoons baby capers, drained; 1 small onion, very finely diced; 50 g can of anchovies in extra virgin olive oil; grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon and 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

What to Eat Next

By Valentine Warner

Published 2014

About

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes, a particular staple of my bachelor years. There are quibbles over its origins and ingredients, but this is just time-wasting. The sauce should pack a committed punch, as it’s not about subtlety. The rich oiliness and tartness from the tomato should balance the enjoyable saltiness, and the taste should be a full-on, big-hitting joy. This is not a dish for children!