In my opinion, pasta dishes are some of the most simple yet complex recipes out there. They are super easy to make, but truth be told, I had the misfortune of eating some very crapy pasta versions throughout my life. And I am sure that I am not the only one.

Long story short, we prefer to make our own and get inspired by anything we have available in-house at that time. Just take a look at our Allagreen Pasta, and you will understand what I am talking about.

However, today I want to present to you a classic Italian dish. I am talking about a puttanesca recipe which we prepare a little bit differently for more than one reason - we like things spicy, and one of us is not a very big olives fan. But other than replacing olives with capers and adding some chilis to the plate, we use the classic puttanesca ingredients. So if you want to be 100% by the book, it is very easy to use our recommendations just as a starting point.

This being said, here is what you have to do to make our version of Spaghetti alla Puttanesca.

• The most important part of this dish is the puttanesca sauce. So you will start preparing it first.
• In a non-stick skillet, heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil.
• Peel and mince your garlic cloves, then add them to your hot oil. Cook the garlic on medium heat for a minute until nice and golden, but be careful not to burn it.
• Add 2 of your anchovies and stir everything until the anchovies are completely melted.
• Chop the chilis and transfer them to the skillet as well. Let them cook for 30 seconds or so.

‍

‍

• Bring the cherry tomatoes in and cook them for 5-7 minutes or until soft and nice.

‍

‍

• I like to crush them on the way using a wooden spoon. By doing so, I am sure that all the juices end up in the right place.
• When the sauce is ready, take it off the heat and add the capers.

‍

‍

• Heat up a big pot of salted water and cook your spaghetti a minute less than instructed.
• When ready, take the pasta out of the water and add it to the skillet along with 2-3 tbsp of that starchy water in which it boiled.
• Stir to combine and let it cook on medium heat for the remaining minute along with the sauce.

‍

‍

• Add the final anchovy fillet, the remaining olive oil, basil, and parm cheese. Season with salt and pepper and give it one last stir.

‍

‍

• Serve immediately with extra parmesan and rose wine.

That's it! That is literally everything you need to do in order to enjoy an amazing pasta dish.

Now, let's take a moment to understand a thing or two about this recipe. In Italian, the word 'puttana' means prostitute, so why is it called puttanesca? Well, the main belief is that this dish was invented in a brothel from Naples somewhere around the 19th century. Hence the name.

I am sure that many of you are wondering if you can make puttanesca sauce without anchovies. Well, technically you can, but it is definitely not the same. If you want to make a vegan puttanesca, of course, just skip this step. Yet, if you don't have a problem eating meat and simply think that you won't like the aftertaste, think again. It won't be fishy. It will only offer a crazy umami aftertaste.

* If you want to make the traditional Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, skip the capers and add black olives instead.

** Don't forget to give us an Instagram tag if you make this dish.