Recipe - Penne Puttanesca

16 ounce Penne pasta (or ziti or
mostaccioli)
One fourth cup Parmesan; grated

MARINARA BASE
4 md Garlic cloves; peeled &
coarsely chopped
1 lg Basil leaf, fresh; coarsely
chopped
One half teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Pepper, black
One fourth cup ;Water, cold
16 ounce Tomato, canned crushed

PUTTANESCA SAUCE
One half cup Olive oil
8 Flat anchovy fillets, rinsed
& drained
3 md Garlic clove; peeled &
minced
2 tablespoon Parsley; finely chopped
1 tablespoon Red pepper; crushed
One fourth cup Capers; rinsed, drained
24 Kalamata olive, pitted

To prepare the marinara base: Combine the garlic and basil in a food
processor or blender and chop finely. Add the salt, black pepper and water;
process 30 seconds. Stir into the tomatoes and set aside.

To prepare the puttanesca sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan.
Add the anchovies and cook, mashing with the back of a spoon, until
disintegrated. Add the garlic, parsley and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook
1 minute. Add the capers and olives; cook seconds.

Stir in the marinara base and simmer 5 minutes. Keep warm.

Cook the pasta in lots of boiling water according to package directions.
Drain and put back into the hot pan.

Add the sauce and Parmesan. Stir well and transfer to a heated bowl for
serving.

Note: The original recipe called for 2 Tbsp salt and 3 Tbsp crushed red
pepper flakes. Times testers felt that the reduced amounts were adequate.
[Moderator's Note: Maybe for the salt....]

Obmodification: I plan to reduce the olive oil to One fourth cup next time, which
is probably more than adequate and cuts down a bit on the fat.

This is from the new Seattle Times column, By Request, which helps readers
get recipes for favorite dishes they have enjoyed at restau rants, and to
locate recipes they have heard about or lost. As a puttanesca connoisseur,
I've found that Salvatore Ristorante Italiano in Seattle makes the *best*
puttanesca I've had at any restaurant in the area. The following has been
shared by the owner, Salvatore Anania. Hope you enjoy it as much as I.

From: Sandra Vigil, vigil@esca.com

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini