Penne Puttanesca

My small person turned 2 on Friday so our weekend was a flurry of Minnie Mouse-Disney Princess-cake-and-ice cream. I am constantly flabbergasted by how quickly she is learning and changing. Amazing little creature - she's got a new word almost every day and she's starting to utter those hilarious phrases that only a toddler can produce. For instance, she recently learned that mommy and daddy have first names so she likes to shout those out from time to time. Her new favorite is to tell us to eat when we have food in front of us - probably because she hears us telling her to do the same. Yesterday, she was playing with one of her babies and put it in her new play high chair. She ran to the kitchen for a dish and spoon and as she was running back, she yelled to baby, "No crying, food coming!" I almost fell down laughing to hear this tiny little person sounding so like an adult...

Needless to say I continue to enjoy motherhood...

But actually enjoying motherhood means spending less time in the kitchen. I'm fine with that as long as we can still have good, homemade food. This puttanesca takes minutes to make. I threw it together in the morning after I dropped her at daycare and then all I had to do was cook the pasta at dinnertime. I used to hate Puttanesca but now I love it once in awhile - briny olives, a hint of anchovy - it's a nice change from traditional tomato sauce...


Penne Puttanesca
adapted from Eat this Book by Tyler Florence

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 canned anchovies, rinsed
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 tbsp capers, drained
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano style, crushed by hand
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound dried penne

Put a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies until they seem to dissolve in the oil. Add the olives, red pepper flakes, and capers, and let that cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Toss in the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point. Reheat sauce before serving.

Bring a big pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and dump it into a big pasta bowl. At the same time, bring the sauce back to a simmer. Pour it over the drained pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.