WHILE THE PASTA COOKS, YOU CAN HAVE THE SAUCE READY! QUICK DINNERS.....

While the pasta cooks.... this reminds me of  watching Biba Caggiano on PBS cook traditional Italian food about 40 years ago or more, well food hasn't changed that much but we have adapted some recipes to make a long drawn out process a one-dish meal that's quicker and easier clean up for today's fast lifestyles, and we can all benefit from this, right? Let me show you how to make a showstopping dinner entree in one dish that is sure to impress...

PASTA PUTTANESCA.- Originally made in the brothels by working women who had to have a quick meal in between clients with whatever pantry ingredients they had on hand. Works for me. Don't forget that this is a flavor PLUS dish due to the strong taste of the ingredients but is a classic dish that will never disappoint. We've made it simpler, so here goes.

You will need:

1/2 lb Spaghetti, dried
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
4-6 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped by hand (to not affect the flavor)
5-7 Anchovy Fillets, finely chopped (about 2-2 1/2 Tbls chopped)
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 cup Caper Berries, drained and chopped
1/4 cup Black Olives, pitted, chopped
1 cup whole Tomatoes, can be canned and peeled (about 7-8oz)
2-3 Tbls Parsley Leaves, minced
1 oz Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated + more for serving
Black Pepper, freshly ground

In a large skillet, saute pan or saucepan place the spaghetti in and cover with water (just to cover and not like you're used to). Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring now and then to prevent the pasta from sticking.

In the meantime, in a medium skillet put 4 Tbls oil, garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until the garlic is lightly golden for about 5 minutes. You can lower the heat to keep it gently sizzling along. Now add the capers and olives and stir to combine well.

Time to add the tomatoes, stir once more to combine and bring it back to a bare simmer. You will continue to simmer until the pasta is just cooked "al dente" or about 1 minute less than any package recommends.

Now, using tongs, transfer the pasta to the sauce. You can drain the pasta but make sure you reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce later. Add all the drained pasta to sauce.

• 
  
•  Add 2-3 Tbls of pasta water to the sauce increase the heat to a vigorous simmer. Cook while stirring and shaking the pan while you add more pasta water, as necessary to keep the sauce loose until the pasta is completely cooked yet still "al dente", maybe 1 or 2 minutes more. Remember the pasta will cook slower while it's in the sauce that it did in just plain water. Add olive oil, parsley and some cheese.

Taste the sauce and add salt & pepper to your taste, you should be generous with the pepper and not too much salt since other ingredients are already salty, ok? So a little at a time.

This dish is also served with the addition of tuna, just drain it if using canned or you can pre-sear some fresh tuna.

You can now also top it off with more grated cheese. Mmmmm.... Enjoy!

2. 
   
   
4. 
   
5. 
   
6.