My love of Italy is well documented as is my love of Italian food. Quite often Italian recipes are incredibly easy to prepare with flavours that pack a punch. The key being good quality ingredients and a sprinkle of love!
This recipe is no different. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is one of those simple recipes that uses a few store cupboard ingredients which then turn into something quite special. Apart from fresh sliced garlic and a few basil leaves the ingredients are all items you will find in your pantry. Tinned tomatoes, capers, anchovies and olives form the basis of this simple pasta sauce that is ready in the time it takes to cook your spaghetti. That means you could have a sumptuous meal for two on the table in less than 15 mins if you take into consideration the opening of a tin and a few jars! A great dish for a midweek supper when time is tight but equally perfect for a lazy weekend lunch with friends and family. The recipe here is for two servings but you could easily double or triple depending on numbers.
I mentioned earlier how it’s important to use the best quality ingredients that you can afford here. Let the quality talk in this simple dish.
Talking of the aforementioned ingredients, I was recently asked by The Postal Pantry Co to work with them on a recipe using store cupboard ingredients. With the lack of my annual holiday to Italy this year due to Covid-19 and my passion for Italian food I came up with the idea to make Spaghetti alla Puttanesca. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a dish invented in Naples in the mid-20th century typically using tomatoes, capers, olives, olive oil, anchovies and of course pasta. All of which are available to order from The Postal Pantry Co.
A Bit About The Postal Pantry Co.
The Postal Pantry Co is a family run business based in Ashburton in South Devon, delivering throughout the UK. They offer a range of quality store cupboard ingredients as well as household products using recyclable and biodegradable packaging wherever possible. They are a young company doing their best to supply quality products whilst minimising their impact on the planet.
The wrapping of products that their customers are unable to recycle themselves, The Postal Pantry Co offer to collect and recycle them for you. This means that nothing need end up in landfill or our oceans.
The Postal Pantry Co offer a range of allergen-friendly goods, making it easier for everyone to shop sustainably and mindfully. They also encourage their customers to shop locally for their perishables to support the local community of business owners and artisans.
To be honest, The Postal Pantry Co tick all the right boxes for me. They are family-run, local, mindful, caring and on top of that deliver a great service. I urge you to check out their website by clicking here and make an order.
My readers can get £5 off their first order using the code TARA5. The only rule being you spend £20 to qualify.
Back To The Recipe…
As I said before, this recipe is a staple on the tables in Naples, Italy and now after my travels there on mine in Exeter, Devon. Thank you to The Postal Pantry Co for contacting me and inspiring me once again to create a little bit of the Amalfi Coast here in the Southwest.
Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 150 g spaghetti
- 1 400 g tin tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp capers
- 12 kalamata olives stones removed
- Sea salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and add the sliced garlic and anchovies. Fry for a couple of minutes but do not let the garlic brown. The anchovies will begin to 'melt'.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, olives and capers and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add salt if required and pepper.
- When ready, drain the spaghetti reserving a cup of cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce with a little of the cooking water to loosen. Check for seasoning.
- Serve in bowls drizzled with olive oil and optional torn basil leaves.
Make A Meal Of It
If you fancy making this recipe for a lazy family lunch or for your friends then may I suggest starting with a platter of antipasti and some cheeses to finish with some crackers and condiments available from The Postal Pantry Co. Here are a few photos for inspiration. All nonperishable items are available from The Postal Pantry Co.
Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted items by The Postal Pantry Co for this post. I was not paid and all views are my own as always.