If you’ve ever eaten an Italian pasta dish (and who hasn’t?), it’s likely been slathered in a sauce such as marinara, Alfredo, or a meaty Bolognese. But one of the most delicious pasta sauces is one you’ve probably never even heard of: Puttanesca.
I first had a puttanesca sauce at a family-run Italian restaurant in an out-of-the-way strip mall in Southern California. On first taste, my mind and taste buds were immediately blown. The tomato base of the sauce was familiar, but the combination of capers, olives, and anchovies were not. Yet it all worked in a culinary marriage that had me devouring bite after bite. That restaurant remains the only place I’ve seen puttanesca on the menu. And it is now closed.
The good news is, puttanesca is ridiculously easy to make at home. It comes together in about half an hour – you can easily make it while getting your pasta water to the boil and cooking the noodles – and it can be tailored to your taste.
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