Dolce vita puttanesca recipe

This super-simple dolce vita puttanesca recipe from chef Nina Parker gives an authentic taste of the Med. Here Nina explains the story behind the dish:

‘In the 1950s Sandro Petti was the owner of a popular restaurant on Ischia called Rancho Fellone. This restaurant-come-nightclub quickly became frequented by the dolce vita who would enjoy summers on the island. One night, Sandro had some hungry customers arrive late begging him to rustle something up from the kitchen. Although he had run out of food he didn’t want to disappoint his guests so he pulled together what he could from his bare cupboards – olives, anchovies, olive oil, garlic and a few tomatoes. These ingredients were thrown together and served with spaghetti. The guests were obsessed with this delicious meal and Sandro shrugged it off as nothing special.

Those guests went on to spread the word and came back to eat it every night. Later, this throw-together dish evolved to be known as Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, which many translate as “whore’s pasta”. Davide Conte, who lives on the island, and knows Sandro well, told me this wonderful story. Sadly, on this trip, I missed the opportunity to meet Sandro but Davide tells me that Sandro is still surprised when he thinks back to that night when he was in a rush in his kitchen. He could never have imagined that what he was about to create would be a dish to go down in Italian history!’

Ingredients (serves 2)

7 anchovy fillets in extra virgin olive oil, chopped, plus 4tbsp of this anchovy oil

4 garlic cloves, diced

1/2 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

80g black olives, half chopped

80g green olives, half chopped

2tbsp capers

1/2 glass of dry white wine

400g tinned plum tomatoes

Bunch of basil, roughly chopped

Finely grated zest and juice of

1 unwaxed lemon

1tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

160g dried wholegrain spelt spaghetti

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil from the anchovies in a large pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and chilli and cook for two minutes.

Stir in the anchovies, cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and white wine, and cook

for 5–6 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste to check the seasoning, adding in more chilli, the balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper, if needed.

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. When the pasta is cooked, scoop out a ladleful of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the reserved pasta water to the sauce to loosen it a little, stir in the basil, lemon zest and juice. Combine with the pasta and sauce and divide everything between two plates or one platter and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of NINA Capri by Nina Parker, published by Orion on 2 June 2016 in hardback at £25, eBook £12.99.

Food photography:Paul Winch-Furness and location photography:Ivar Wigan