Favorite Ingredients Friday

Wow, am I late or what!? My only excuse is this was a kick-butt day. It was the last day of regular class for the first trimester. Next week is finals and then we start a new trimester with all new students. There are four teachers in my department. We are all travelling teachers which means that we're in different rooms every class period. Today, the other three all had substitutes. That meant a day of running to four classrooms each passing period to make sure the doors were unlocked, the lesson plans were okay, and the subs knew what they were doing. This was also a day that began with me scraping ice off the car for 10 minutes before I could even leave. It was exhausting, but it was a good day. My classes got a lot done. I'm so proud of my business class. They're wrapping up their entrepreneurship projects, and I can tell they "got it." You don't know how rare that feeling can be.

Anyway, who cares about my day. Bring on the recipe! We've enjoyed this recipe a few times. We first saw it on Rachel Ray's show on Food TV. Don't let the anchovies put you off. Jim can't stand them, so I didn't tell him they were in this recipe the first time I made it. He loved this dish. You really can't taste them, but they had a wonderful layer of flavor to the sauce. Without them, it just wouldn't be puttanesca.

Pasta Puttanesca

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
3. 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
4. 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5. 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
6. 3 tablespoons capers
7. 1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
8. 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
9. A few grinds black pepper
10. 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
11. 1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
12. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, optional

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Sauté mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve, and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes. Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and turn to coat. Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese.

Serves 4.


While I still have your attention, don't forget to come back on Monday and post your food gift ideas for the holidays! Please pass the message around. I would appreciate help in getting the word out. Feel free to pull the button from the blog or email if you'd prefer the code.

Now go visit all the lovely ladies who posted on time at Overwhelmed with Joy!