Puttanesca

A few weeks back… I was craving for pasta. Actually, the appetence for something (normally food) happens every month. It’s a periodic appetency that women who are challenged with their hormones must satisfy, otherwise you get (speaking for myself) depressed over this trivial matter.

So, I was hopping from one café/fastfood chain to another… I ate three pasta dishes that week, not three days in a row.


Here are my ratings of the three pasta dishes:


The Shrimp Aglio Olio of Greenwich really sucked! The dish sounds nice but the food itself??? NOT! T’was like eating some kind of rubber than eating a juicy tasty shrimps ( that’s how I imagine the looks of its poster)… False advertising, right? I just got that picture from google for representation. But the Aglio Olio they served me here was way too lapsed. For this one, considering the worth of the meal, I gave 0.5 over 5 stars.


The Puttanesca of Fagioli’s was commendable.
Considering that there was no meat in it and not a sight of a single anchovy fillet in it , still I was able to raven the whole serving. I saw a shiny empty plate when I left… with a tummy fully satisfied. The food was worth every cent, but I can only give 4 over 5 stars because of the missing anchovy fillets.


The Pasta Perfetto of Pizza Hut topped and satisfied my appetence. I ordered their Spaghetti Shrimp Garlic and Mushroom dish. All I can say was YUMMY! T’was not only affordable but it did meet my craving! I must give 5 stars for this one. Perfetto indeed!




Since this blog entry is all about Puttanesca… here’s the recipe I got from Rachel Ray’s Food network site. The recipe was rated 5 stars. But course!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• A few grinds black pepper
• 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)
• Crusty bread, for mopping
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Directions

Serving suggestions: a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper, recipe follows
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.
Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Cook's Note: Get your olives from the bulk bins in the market, rather than buying a jar. The unit price is always much less per pound and you can get just what you need for each recipe.