24 August 2023

One-Pan Puttanesca

Indulge in the robust flavours of Italy with this Pasta Puttanesca recipe. This one-pan dish harmoniously blends briny olives, zesty capers, and rich tomatoes for an easy midweek dinner.

Photography: CLARE WINFIELD © RYLAND PETERS & SMALL

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Serves

Total Time

40 Minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp of raisins, currants or sultanas/golden raisins (chopped if large)

1 tbsp of capers, rinsed if salted

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 onion, or red onion, sliced

60g of smoked lardons, chopped pancetta, or bacon pieces (optional)

3 anchovy fillets (optional)

3 garlic cloves

A generous squeeze of tomato purée/paste

1 tsp of dried oregano

1-2 pinches of sugar (to taste)

1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes

½-1 tsp of crushed chilli/hot red pepper flakes (to taste)

400ml of water (use the empty tomato can to measure)

150g of dried spaghetti

3-4 tbsp of Kalamata or other black olives, pitted & roughly chopped grated

Parmesan, to serve

Toasted pine nuts, to serve (optional)

1 small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Method

Step 1

Put the raisins and capers in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside to soak. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (one with a lid) and add the onion and lardons, if using. Cook gently for a full 7-10 minutes, till golden and caramelised. Crush the anchovies and garlic – you can put them both through a garlic crusher, anchovies first – and add to the pan with the tomato purée and oregano. Season to taste with the sugar, chilli flakes and salt and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the tomatoes, water and spaghetti (snapping it if necessary to fit in the pan) and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer for the time suggested on the spaghetti packet – typically 8-12 minutes – stirring occasionally to ensure the pasta is immersed in the sauce. If towards the end of the time the mixture is looking wet, remove the lid to thicken slightly. Check the spaghetti is al dente – cooked by this method, it may need 2-3 minutes extra – then stir in the drained raisins and capers, plus the olives and parsley if using, to heat through. Check the seasoning – again be generous – serve with lots of grated parmesan and add a scattering of pine nuts and chopped parsley, if you wish.

Cook's tip: If you haven’t encountered it, ’nduja is a spicy fermented salami paste from Calabria, the region which forms the toe of the Italian peninsula. Soft and spreadable, it can be mixed into savoury dishes whenever you fancy a bit of extra oomph – tomato sauces, on pizzas or even on toast.

For a meat-free version, omit the lardons and anchovies.

Recipe courtesy of Two’s Company by Orlando Murrin, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£18.99) Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small.

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