Authentic Pasta alla Puttanesca The Ultimate Recipe!

    If you're like me, and really love Italian food, then let me reintroduce you to what I think is one of the best pasta dishes. Here's one of the oldest Italian dishes ever. The combination of capers, olives, chili flakes, and tomatoes, make for a delicious pasta recipe. If not, the ultimate Pasta alla Puttanesca!  Although, this is classically made with Spaghetti, and Radiatore shape pasta, for this version, I used linguini, because I've found it helps carry the sauce better than spaghetti, and isn't as overly wide like Fettuccine.

Here's what you'll need: 1/2 a bag of Linguini (or your favorite pasta)
                                        1/4 cup of Kalamata Olives
                                        2 Tbsp Capers (rinsed)
                                        1 Can Chopped peeled Tomatoes
                                        3-4 Achovy Fillets
                                        2 tsp dried chili flakes
                                        4-6 Cloves of minced Garlic
                                        1/4 reserved Pasta water
                                        4 Tbsp Olive Oil

Since the briny capers, olives, and anchovies are already rather salty, there is no need to add salt to this dish. You may add an eighth of a teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg in order to balance out the acidity levels, if you'd like.

You'll start by boiling a pot of water. Once the water comes to a boil, salt the water, and stir, using your wooden spoon. After salt dissolves, place the pasta in. Cook 2 minutes under the time limit on the box. From my experience, I generally cook boxed pasta for no more than 7 minutes. Drain, and set aside. If you stir the pasta for thirty seconds, when you first place it in the water, it won't stick to each other. There's no need for olive oil in the water, because the sauce won't stick. Do not rinse your pasta either, because you need the starchiness. Trust me.

The best time to start building the sauce is after the water boils, but before adding in the pasta. For the sauce, add the olive oil first, then the garlic, capers, olives and chili flakes, and anchovy fillets, then turn the heat on to medium low. This technique avoids burning the olive oil, along with the rest of your ingredients. Once everything comes to a low simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and add in the tomatoes. Then give it a stir. Place the pasta in the pot, and let it cook for 7 minutes. At the same time, you'll want to simmer the tomatoes, and add the pasta water. This will give your mixture a nice sheen. Remember to keep the heat on low during this time, since you'll want to avoid burning.  On a side note, you'll want to stir the mixture until the anchovies have dissolved, or broken down pretty well.

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Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, using a colander, then, transfer to the sauce, and give it a few good tosses, either in a pan, or the same pot. I usually do this in the pot, but you can do it in the pan, if that's where your sauce is.

Next, you'll plate it up, and grate some fresh Romano, or Parmesan cheese and, it's ready to eat!
I hope you've enjoyed this recipe, as much as I have! If you love Italian food, this is the perfect addition to your weeknight meals. If you've enjoyed watching the video, please click the SUBSCRIBE button that looks like the Chef Nicko Logo. That will keep you in the loop when it comes to future video recipes. Also, click the bell icon to keep you notified, every time there's a new recipe out! Thank You, and see you in the next video!