pasta alla Puttanesca

Or, if you like (as I do), "pasta with harlot's sauce". "Puttanesca" denotes this dish's origins in the brothels of Sicily. Despite the seeming abundance of ingredients, this dish is in fact very quick, cheap and easy - kinda like that girl down Parkdale. Puttanesca sauce stretches with anything (i.e. any italian ingredients): it's real working girl food. Aside from the possibility of eggs in the bread, this is a completely vegan recipe.

Whores couldn't afford meat back then, never mind tube tops.

Advice would be to disregard the amounts, use your head and your own taste for spices (I would use more garlic than this!) If you want a source of protein, you might wish to add a can of anchovies in with the frying stuff at the beginning.

Parmesan cheese is a pathetic, definitely non-Sicilian touch to what is clearly a Sicilian dish. Use cheese only if you are in fact a whore who has no sense of good taste.

• 4 quarts water, for boiling pasta
• 7 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, medium dice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 6 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 20 Italian OR Greek oil-cured olives, pitted and sliced
• 1-1/2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 slices good Italian or white bread, crusts trimmed and discarded, diced, for croutons.
• 1 pound spaghettini, or your favorite pasta tube types; penne, mostaccioli, rigatoni.
• Fresh parsley, minced

Heat water for pasta. Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and sautee onions and garlic over medium heat until onions wilt. Add tomato paste, 1 cup water, olives, oregano, basil, tomatoes and red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and sautee bread cubes over medium heat, tossing until crisp and golden. Lift onto paper towels and sprinkle with salt; keep warm.

Cook pasta until al dente; drain and toss with sauce. Divide into serving portions and sprinkle with croutons and parsley. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Makes 4 servings. http://www.sicilianculture.com/food/puttanesca.htm, accessed today.

This is the famous Italian dish called Spaghetti Puttanesca which literally means "Whore's Spaghetti." The dish is supposed to have gotten its name because it it could be quickly prepare by working girls in between appointments with clients. It is, in fact, very quick to prepare and is really very good for something so simple.

1. Heat a half cup of good quality olive oil in a sauce pan.

2. Add a heaping teaspoon of chopped garlic and stir for a few seconds.

3. Add a heaping tablespoon of capers and continue to stir another few seconds.

4. Add a half cup of chopped kalamatra olives and give it another few stirs.

5. Add a standard sized can (roughly 16 ounces) of diced tomatos (Cento is a very good brand to use) drained of excess liquid. Continue to cook until just heated. (Just a minute or so)

6. Salt to taste and add some red pepper flakes (I'll leave it to you how hot you want to make it).

7. Toss the mixture with a pound (dry weight) of hot cooked spaghetti, a handfull of fresh basil leaves, and a quarter cup of grated good quality real parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

All the quantities are somewhat flexible so don't worry about being too careful measuring. You can also add anchovies, or a can of oil packed tuna, or some cooked tiny shrimp along with the tomatos. All of these are very authentically Italian. (In fact, tuna is the most common protein found in Italian pasta sauces).