A simple spaghetti puttanesca, or as it could be translated from Italian: “slut’s spaghetti” is a combination of simple ingredients that results in pure alchemy. Combine tomatoes, olives, capers, some anchovies, garlic, oregano, and these rustic ingredients turn into soothing, comforting, delicious goodness.
Why name something so purely wonderful after a whore? As with all hand-me-down recipes there are as many theories as there are tangled noodles on my plate. It was called a call girl’s spaghetti because:
- It was quick enough to make and eat between clients
- It was quick enough to serve to clients when they were hungry
- Prostitutes usually aren’t very rich, so it’s what they could afford to eat
- In the 1950’s Sandro Petti, owner of the famous Ischia restaurant Rancio Fellone claimed he invented the sauce when hungry friends arrived after hours and begged ”Facci una puttanata qualsiasi” which roughly translates as “make any bloody thing!”
- Another name for this dish invokes the “figlio d’una buona donna” as in pasta of the son of a good woman, except the meaning of the good woman is … the same as a puttana and her offspring
You can ponder the origins of the name while you cook the sauce, which is another one of those “in the time it takes to cook the pasta” sauces.
All quantities for this recipe are very, very flexible; it’s all about using up what’s on hand.
Spaghetti Puttanesca Sauce
1 cup tomato: puree, sauce, canned, chopped or fresh
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 to 10 roughly chopped olives
1 tablespoon of capers
2 or 3 salted anchovy filets that have been rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Some chili peppers … you be the judge how hot you want your whore’s spaghetti.
1 tablespoon butter
Olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
Put the pasta water on to boil. Don’t forget to salt the pasta water. Now prep your onions, olives, garlic, and anchovies.
Soften the onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil, then add everything else except the butter.
Cook your pasta, when it’s done and right before you are ready to drain the pasta, add the butter to the tomato sauce and mix well.
(Question: Why do recipe instructions always tell you to drain the pasta … what you are going to do, serve it in the cooking water? If you don’t know enough to drain the pasta, I would suggest that someone else be in charge of making dinner.)
Place your drained spaghetti in a bowl, add the sauce, grate a little cheese and you are good to go. What you choose to wear while serving spaghetti puttanesca is your call.
