Prostitute Pasta...Puttanesca Vegan Sauce Recipe!

Whore's spaghetti. That is what I first read the description of Puttanesca Sauce as, when I first made it many moons ago. It was described as a sauce that your average, back in the day Italian prostitute could knock together with not many fresh ingredients as she didn't keep normal hours to go shopping.

---

I have since read that it is nothing to do with that, but the smell of the sauce is similar to that of a mid-century Italian prostitute, so we will leave that one just there.....suffice to say I deeply offended an old friend of mine who had been good enough to cook for me, when I described the dish she produced as Whore's Spaghetti, and told her why.....

The only thing missing from the original recipe I used to use is the anchovies, but the briny taste from the capers and the olives more than compensates for the lack of tiny fishies, I was never really a fan of those anyway. The dish is traditionally served with spaghetti, but can be served with any egg free pasta you choose. This amount serves 2 people, but is very easy to double up or more to feed a crowd cheaply

Ingredients

1 400g tin of tomatoes including the juice

2 tbsps olive oil

3 fat cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

50g pitted black olives, roughly chopped

1tbsp capers, roughly chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 tsp sugar

A handful of roughly chopped basil

150g dried spaghetti

Method

Use a stick blender or just give the tinned tomatoes a quick whizz to get rid of the bigger lumps

In a pan, heat the olive oil and gently cook the garlic until it just starts to soften, not brown. Add the olives, capers, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar to the pan. Bring to a gentle bubble, partly cover and leave to gently simmer, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions

After 10 minutes of gently bubbling, the sauce should have reduced a little, add the basil and continue to cook for another minute whilst you drain the spaghetti. Mix the pasta well into the sauce and serve in pasta bowls

Debbie