Pasta Recipes - Penne Puttanesca

Ingredients:
4 medium cloves garlic,
peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp freshly ground
black pepper
20 large fresh basil leaves,
coarsely chopped
16 oz (2 cups) canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 - 1 tsp salt

Puttanesca sauce:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
8 flat anchovy fillets, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup capers, rinsed, drained
24 pitted Kalamata olives
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
16 oz penne pasta (or ziti or
and minced mostaccioli)
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Procedures:
1. To prepare the marinara base: Combine the garlic and basil in a
food processor or blender and chop finely. Add the salt, black
pepper and water; process 30 seconds. Stir into the tomatoes and
set aside.
2. To prepare the puttanesca sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large
saute pan. Add the anchovies and cook, mashing with the back of a
spoon, until disintegrated. Add the garlic, parsley and crushed
red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute. Add the capers and olives;
cook 20 seconds.
3. Stir in the marinara base an simmer 5 minutes. Keep warm.
4. Cook the pasta in lots of boiling water according to package
Drain and put back into the hot pan.
5. Add the sauce and Parmesan. Stir well and transfer to a heated
bowl for serving.
Note: The original recipe called for 2 Tbsp salt and 3 Tbsp crushed
red pepper flakes. Times testers felt that the reduced amounts were
adequate. [Moderator's Note: Maybe for the salt.
Obmodification: I plan to reduce the olive oil to 1/4 cup next time,
which is probably more than adequate and cuts down a bit on the fat.