Bean Puttanesca
Bean Puttanesca

Bean Puttanesca

Savour the flavours of the Mediterranean with this puttanesca – a vibrant twist on the classic Italian dish. Infused with aromatic herbs and zesty olives, it's a comforting yet low-calorie rendition of a beloved favourite.
Photography: JOE WOODHOUSE

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Serves
2
Total Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, plus extra to serve
6 anchovy fillets (or 100g of smoked streaky bacon or 60g of diced pancetta. If using pork, make sure to fry it off until beginning to crisp before adding your onion)
1 large red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
50g of capers
1 red chilli, deseeded, or 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes
70g of pitted Kalamata olives, half left whole, half chopped in half
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
½ tsp of white caster sugar or honey (to balance the acidity)
1 x 700g jar of Queen Butter Beans
30g of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the anchovy fillets, whole, and let them cook off and reduce for about 2 minutes. Once they have cooked down and shrunk slightly, add the onion. You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil at this point to ensure the onion gets well coated. Continue to stir until the onion has caramelised and is becoming translucent. Add the garlic, capers, chilli and olives and continue to stir for 2 minutes.

Step 2

Next, add the can of chopped tomatoes and the sugar or honey. Stir and simmer, still over a medium-high heat, for 3-5 minutes. Next, add the beans to the pan, along with their bean stock. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Step 3

Serve with chopped parsley and a generous glug of olive oil.

Recipe courtesy of Bold Beans: Recipes To Get Your Pulse Racing (£19.99) by Amelia Christie-Miller. Published by Kyle Books. Photography: Joe Woodhouse 

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