Puttanesca is not a sauce of compromise: it must be lively, salty, and truly comforting. It’s the dish you make when you want something hot, simple, with enough character to set the day straight. In Naples, the idea is clear: few ingredients, but none that sleep in the pot.
Ingredients :
- Spaghetti — They carry the sauce and provide that long, almost slippery chew that makes the dish so enjoyable. Use durum wheat pasta that holds up well to cooking, and swap for linguine or bucatini if you want a heartier bite.
- Tomatoes — They form the body of the sauce, with the acidity that balances the saltiness of the olives and capers. Out of season, good quality canned crushed tomatoes are better than pale, watery fresh ones.
- Black olives — They give depth, a dark, fleshy note that prevents the sauce from staying flat. Choose olives with character, like Kalamata or Gaeta, and avoid overly smooth olives that taste mostly of brine.
- Capers — They bring the salty, tangy spark, that sharp little hit that cuts through the hot tomato. Rinse them if they are very salty, then chop some to spread their flavor throughout the sauce.
