ONE-PAN PUTTANESCA
A super-tasty supper, cooked in one pan – yes, even the spaghetti – will be on the table in 30-40 minutes.
SERVES 2 1tbsp raisins, currants or sultanas (chopped if large)
1tbsp capers, rinsed if salted
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
60g smoked lardons, chopped pancetta, or bacon pieces (optional)
3 anchovy fillets (optional)
3 garlic cloves A generous squeeze of tomato purée
1tsp dried oregano
1–2 pinches of sugar
1tsp crushed chilli flakes
400g can chopped tomatoes
150g dried spaghetti
3–4tbsp pitted black olives, roughly chopped A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Grated Parmesan, to serve
Toasted pine nuts, to serve (optional)
1 Put the raisins and capers in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside to soak. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (one with a lid) and add the onion and lardons, if using. Cook gently for a full 7-10 minutes, till golden and caramelised.
2 Crush the anchovies and garlic – put them through a garlic crusher, anchovies first – and add to the pan with the tomato purée and oregano. Season to taste with the sugar, chilli flakes and salt and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3 Stir in the tomatoes, 400ml (a canful) of water and spaghetti (snapping it if necessary to fit in the pan) and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer for the time suggested on the spaghetti packet – around 8-12 minutes – stirring occasionally to ensure the pasta is immersed in the sauce. If towards the end of the time the mixture is looking wet, remove the lid to thicken.
4 Check the spaghetti is al dente – cooked by this method, it may need 2-3 minutes extra – then stir in the drained raisins and capers, plus the olives and parsley if using, to heat through. Check the seasoning – again, be generous – serve with lots of grated Parmesan and add a scattering of pine nuts and chopped parsley, if you wish.
COOKS TIP Raisins add a Sicilian flourish to this dish, but if they’re not your thing, simply skip them. For a veggie version, omit the lardons and anchovies.