Tagliatelle with Puttanesca sauce

Timing – 1.00h
Difficulty: Medium

For the Tagliatelle:

–  200g “00” Flour
–  2 Fresh Medium Eggs (with yellow egg’s yolk)
–  50g of Semolina flour

For the Sauce:

–  2 Cetara Anchovy Fillets
–  100g Taggiasche Olives
–  2 Tablespoons of Salted Capers
–  300g San Marzano (canned tomatoes)
–  2 Stems of Italian parsley (flat-leaf) leaves only
–  2 Garlic Cloves
–  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
–  Chili Flakes and Salt to taste

Typical of the Southern Italian tradition “The Puttanesca” gives you a little taste of what Napoli is. In this sauce tomato is the master… How couldn’t that be! However, the savoury and tangy combination of the anchovies and capers is what will make you want to book a trip on the Amalfi coast.

Method

For the Tagliatelle:

Cut off a third of your dough and roll it into a thin sheet (read here the classic egg dough recipe). Sprinkle a bit of semolina flour on the table and fold the sheet into a loose log. Cut the log using a sharp knife to obtain stripes about 5-6 mm wide.

Unravel them and use some semolina to make sure they don’t stick to each other, place them aside in little nests. Do the same for the remaining pasta dough.

For the Sauce:

Crush the olives and cut some of them in a half. If necessary, wash the capers with some water to remove the excessive salt and put them aside. Now, mince the garlic cloves and put them with the anchovy fillets in a frying pan over medium heat. Add capers, olives, and chili. Let the anchovies melt in a nice saucy paste stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Now add the tomato sauce and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and chop the fresh parsley while you are waiting. Cook the tagliatelle for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them directly to the sauce. Toss the pasta adding some of the water from the pot and allow it to finish cooking stirring vigorously on high heat.

Plate with some fresh parsley on top and a drizzle of olive oil to give a final touch to the dish.

Enjoy!