Puttanesca Sauce
We had spaghetti and meatballs tonight, and I tried an awesome new sauce, puttanesca.
Of course, there’s a story behind this sauce. Several stories, in fact. One says that the name derives from the Latin word putida, which means “stinking”–the sauce calls for six garlic cloves. Another says that it derives from the Italian word puttana which means, er, I think the US term would be “working girl.” This story says that the establishments that employed these women would use the fragrent sauce to lure in customers. Or maybe to feed satisfied customers.
In any case, the sauce dates at least from Naples in the 1940s, and probably earlier. It’s got traditional Italian ingredients, is super easy, smells great while you’re cooking it, and has intense, savory flavor.
The version I’m posting here isn’t quite traditional–I’ve added a couple of ingredients. First, I’ve added brown sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, and I’ve added ground fennel. The latter is an ingredient I’ve always put in spaghetti sauce to add a nice piquancy. I’ve also added a splash of Zinfandel, also to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
The sauce calls for anchovies. Don’t worry–this won’t make your sauce taste fishy. Instead, it’s an essential feature of the sauce that adds the natural umani flavor that makes the sauce savory. If you want a vegetarian substitute, miso paste or soy sauce offer a similar flavor. You could also use Worcestershire sauce, but that contains anchovies so you may as well use the real thing. Versions from Compania usually omit the anchovies, which I don’t recommend.
I admit I cheated a bit for dinner tonight–I didn’t make the meatballs. Instead I used Carando spicy Sicilian meatballs. These were inexpensive and tasted better than ones I’ve made from scratch. These had a bit of a bite to them; if you want, there is a milder version from the same company. In any case, these were about the same price as Italian sausage at the grocery story, and were already formed into tasty meatballs.
With so few ingredients, it’s advisable to get the best possible. For example, I used Kalamata olives from the deli, not the canned or bottled ones on the grocery shelves, and San Marzano tomatoes.
Puttanesca Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
- 1 Sauce pan for spaghetti
- 1 Collander to drain spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb Spaghetti
- 1 lb meat balls (optional)
- 1/4 C Olive oil–two swirls about the pan
- 6 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced. Yes, six.
- 2 oz Anchovy filets, finely chopped. If in oil or brine, drain before chopping.
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 C Zinfandel or any sweet, white wine–optional, but this adds a bit sweetness to the sauce
- 1/2 C Kalamatta olives, pitted and sliced in half
- 1/4 C Capers, drained.
- 28 oz Crushed tomatoes. I used San Marzano tomatoes, but any canned, crushed tomatoes will do.
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (more or less, to taste)
- 1/4 C fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare and measure all ingredients prior to starting. That way you'll have everything at hand and won't have to stop in the middle of cooking the sauce.
- Cook the meatballs per the recipe or package instructions, if using.
- Cook spaghetti al dente, per the instructions on the package. That means you might cook it a couple minutes less than the package suggests so it's a little undercooked when you mix it with the sauce. That way, it will better absorb the sauce.
- Bring large skillet to temperature over medium heat. Let the skillet heat for four or five minutes before adding ingredients.
- Add olive oil to skillet and swirl so it covers the bottom.
- Add the chopped anchovies and thinly sliced garlic cloves to skillet. Toss so that they mix with the oil. After about a minute, the anchovies should start to disolve in the oil and the garlic should be fragrant and soft. Don't cook until it's brown!
- Add the onions to the pan and cook until they soften–about five minutes.
- Add the wine, olives, capers, and tomatos to the pan. Stir in the ground fennel and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the sauce and thoroughly mix it in.
- By this time, the spaghetti should be done. Save a quarter cup of the water you cooked the spaghetti in and drain the noodles in the collander.
- Reduce the heat on the skillet and add the noodles. Mix thoroughly. Add half the chopped basil and mix. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the water you saved from cooking the spaghetti, one TBSP at a time.
- Plate the spaghetti, top with meatballs, grated parmesan, and the remaining basil.
The nutrition information is for the sauce only. Three meatballs add 300 calories and one quarter pound of spaghetti adds 421 calories. This is not a low-cal meal!
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