I am a meat eater at heart.  I know, shocking that I write, edit, recipe develop meat based recipes in my spare time.  However, I wanted to share a recipe that I have had a few times that really satisfies me.  I saw this recipe on the America’s Test Kitchen series on PBS – and with just a little Anchovie paste – this dish is virtually vegetarian.

Now, those Veg-Heads can just settle down.  Anchovie as described by Iron Chef Bobby Flay as the Bacon of the Sea, and furthermore – we all know that all vegetarians  sneak a little bacon in their diet.  With just a little bit of Anchovie paste, the dish gets this nice deep flavor and transforms this dish into  a nice summer meal fulfilling but not overly heavy.

For the ladies, this meal will satisfy your man.  Take it from me, a man – it’s really good food.  Enjoy!

Summer Pasta Puttanesca

A refreshing yet satisfying summer pasta dish!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 Cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste it's the bacon of the sea
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 Lbs tomatoes grape or cherry
• 1 pound Campanella
• Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted, chopped coarse
• 3 Tablespoons capers rinsed and minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley minced

Instructions

 

• In a bowl combine oil, garlic, anchovy paste, pepper flakes and oregano. In a blender process the tomatoes until they are finely chopped but not in a puree, this will take about 15 - 20 seconds. Transfer the tomatoes through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl and let it drain for about 5 minutes, occasionally with a rubber spatula press gently on the solids to extract as much of the liquid as possible. This should yield about 3/4 cup of tomato liquid. Reserve the tomato liquid in a separate bowl and the pulp in a strainer.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the campanelle pasta and about 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and allow to cook. Stir often, and cook the pasta until it is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, and then drain the pasta and return to the cooking pot.
• In a 12-inch skillet on medium heat, cook the garlic-anchovy mixture, stir frequently just until the garlic is fragrant but not brown. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato liquid and let simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup - this should take an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato pulp, olives and capers; cook until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes more of cooking time. Stir in the parsley.
• Pour the sauce mixture over the Campanella and toss to combine, adding reserved cooking liquid as needed to adjust the consistency if the sauce is too thick. Season with salt to taste. Serve Immediately.

Notes

The preferred pasta is Campanella, however fusilli, orecchiette and bucattini (shown) pasta's also work. Cook's Country suggests to finely mash the anchovies fillets (rinsed and dried before mashing) can be used instead of anchovy paste. Also, buy good-quality black olives such as kalamata, Gaeta, or Alfonso varieties.

Adapted from Cook's Country