This recipe has evolved and been heavily modified over time from an old version, originally seen in The Food Network Kitchen.
Puttanesca is usually made with anchovies but in this recipe, canned Italian tuna takes the anchovies' place. The recipe calls for fresh Fettuccine, but you can really use any pasta shape, dried or fresh (with the pasta cooking time suitably modified), that you prefer.
Course: Lunch, Dinner, Entrée
Cuisine: Italian
Makes: About 4-6 meal-size servings
Takes: About 2 hours total.
Special Tools: A large (12") sauce pan or skillet and a pot large enough (6-8 qt. total, or about 1 qt. per serving) to boil pasta. A spider, tongs, spaghetti ladle, or large slotted spoon for draining and transferring the pasta is also useful.
Ingredients
For the Pasta Dough (larger amounts are for a full batch)
For Making the Fresh Pasta Dough (you can use a mixer or food processor, but it's easy enough to do by hand)
Note: For dried pasta, just follow the box instructions.
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For the Puttanesca Sauce (season each "layer" with salt/sugar and pepper to taste before proceeding to next step)
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For Boiling the Pasta (after the sauce has simmered and is ready to serve)
To Make Ahead and Freeze
The puttanesca sauce itself will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator and it freezes well by itself (without the pasta). If you do freeze it, just plan to make a new batch of pasta each time you want to serve it.
Puttanesca is usually made with anchovies but in this recipe, canned Italian tuna takes the anchovies' place. The recipe calls for fresh Fettuccine, but you can really use any pasta shape, dried or fresh (with the pasta cooking time suitably modified), that you prefer.
Course: Lunch, Dinner, Entrée
Cuisine: Italian
Makes: About 4-6 meal-size servings
Takes: About 2 hours total.
Special Tools: A large (12") sauce pan or skillet and a pot large enough (6-8 qt. total, or about 1 qt. per serving) to boil pasta. A spider, tongs, spaghetti ladle, or large slotted spoon for draining and transferring the pasta is also useful.
Ingredients
For the Pasta Dough (larger amounts are for a full batch)
- 300g Flour, (100g per serving) AP or bread flour
- 3 large Eggs (50g ea.) (1 per serving), beaten
- 15ml/1TBSP Olive Oil (5ml/1 tsp per serving)
- 15ml/1TBSP water (5ml/1 tsp per serving)
- OPTIONAL: A tiny bit of salt to firm up the pasta
- OPTIONALLY SUBSTITUTE: Up to 450g (16 oz.) (about 85-115g (3-4 oz.) per serving) dried Fettuccine, Linguine, Spaghetti, etc.
- 30ml (2 TBSP) Extra Virgin Olive Oil, optionally combine with (or substitute) butter for sauteing.
- 1-2 large cloves fresh garlic, finely diced
- 30 ml (2 TBSP) capers stored in brine, drained and optionally rinsed
- 75-150g (1/2 - 1 cup) kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- 794g (28 oz. net wt.) canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed, seeds optionally removed, drained, and liquid reserved
- a "bunch" of fresh basil leaves, washed, dried, and finely sliced or chopped
- 160g (5.6 oz. net) Canned tuna, packed in olive oil - a good Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese brand, e.g., Callipo from Italy; Do not drain.
- Kosher Salt, typically Morton's
- Sugar - When sautéing and salting the sauce, I generally add an equal (or up to double) amount of sugar. Consider it optional here.
- Black Pepper, freshly ground
- 150-160g (about 1/2 medium) sweet onion, finely chopped
- 225g (8 oz) fresh mushrooms, (button, baby bella, etc. (tender varieties)) thinly sliced
- 150g (1 cup) red bell pepper, medium chopped
- Approx. 120ml (1/2 cup) red wine, to taste (Merlot is best, pinot noir is good, too. Very dry wines are NOT)
- 60-120ml (1/4 to 1/2 cup) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated or shaved for garnish
- 120ml (1/2 cup) flour, to make a simple roux for thickening (I've never felt the need)
- 1-3ml (1/4 - 1/2) tsp. crushed or flaked red pepper (if you want some heat)
- Leave out the tuna - shazam, it's vegetarian!
- You might want to consider adding:
- additional fresh mushrooms, chopped instead of sliced for better texture
- dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted, drained (carefully to remove sand), and coarsely chopped for added flavor
- a bit of miso paste for additional umami
For Making the Fresh Pasta Dough (you can use a mixer or food processor, but it's easy enough to do by hand)
Note: For dried pasta, just follow the box instructions.
- In a bowl, lightly beat the egg(s).
- Add olive oil and water, beat lightly to combine
- Add the flour and mix/fold by hand until thoroughly combined into a smooth dough ball (about 480g for a full batch). Let the dough ball rest, covered with a clean dish towel, for at least 15-20 minutes before proceeding.
- Divide the dough ball into equal manageable portions (4-6 ea., (80-120g ea.) for a full batch)
- Shape each portion into an approximately 3x5 inch (75x125mm) rectangle
- Using the KA pasta rolling attachment, set the mixer speed to [2], then starting on thickness setting [1], feed each dough rectangle through repeatedly, incrementing the roller setting each time until thickness setting [7]. Flour as needed.
- Lay each sheet of dough out on the counter or on a cutting board, optionally square off the ends, and cut into desired lengths for noodles. Flour as needed and keep the growing stack of pasta sheets covered with a clean towel.
- To cut into fettuccine noodles (or spaghetti, if you prefer), feed each pasta sheet through the appropriate cutter. Flour if needed as you stack or nest the noodles loosely, covered with a clean towel until ready to boil:
​For the Puttanesca Sauce (season each "layer" with salt/sugar and pepper to taste before proceeding to next step)
- Set a strainer over a bowl and crush the canned tomatoes with your hands, optionally removing as many seeds as you prefer. Also remove any tough stems. Drain, and reserve both the tomatoes and their juices separately.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med. heat.
- Add chopped onions and sauté until tender. Season as needed with salt and (optionally) a bit of sugar.
- Add mushrooms and sauté until tender and starting to dry. Season as needed with salt/sugar:
​- Add garlic, red bell pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using). Sauté until garlic is cooked through, not browned:
​- Add flour (if using) and stir to mix thoroughly. Cook until heated through but do not allow to brown at all.
- Add the capers and chopped olives and sauté for about 2-5 min:
​- Add the crushed tomatoes, stir to mix, and cook until slightly dry, about 2-5 min.
- Add the reserved tomato juice, red wine (if using), and most of the fresh basil (saving some for garnish), season to taste, and cook until the sauce thickens and any alcohol has (theoretically) cooked off, at least 3-5 min:
​- Add the tuna with its oil, break it up into small pieces, stir it in thoroughly, and cook until heated through:
​- Simmer covered, over low heat, until flavors have melded and pasta is ready to serve, at least 20-30 min:
​For Boiling the Pasta (after the sauce has simmered and is ready to serve)
- In a pot large enough to contain plenty of water for just the pasta you intend to serve right away, bring properly salted (5-10ml (1-2 tsp.) Morton's Kosher salt per qt./L) water to a full boil.
- Add just the pasta that you will be serving; bring back to a gentle boil (watch for boil over!), and cook until just al dente.
- Lightly drain the pasta, reserving about 120ml (1/2 cup) of the pasta water. I normally just fish it out of the pot, give it a light shake, and transfer without draining, directly into the sauce pan or serving bowls.
- Toss or stir pasta and sauce together to thoroughly combine. If it seems too thick, stir in a bit of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve immediately; season to taste with black pepper and garnish, as desired, with additional fresh basil and/or grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese:
To Make Ahead and Freeze
The puttanesca sauce itself will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator and it freezes well by itself (without the pasta). If you do freeze it, just plan to make a new batch of pasta each time you want to serve it.
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