puttanesca?

[mlou]

Does anyone know what this is or how to make it?? What if any, are the reasons one eats capers other than taste? This is a new food to me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

As far as I know, the only reason you would eat capers is for taste; they kind of remind me of olives, very piquant and distinctive, but I like them very much. What are you making puttanesca with?

[Gail]

When I saw this question, I immediately ran for a recipe book I have, only to learn there's apparently more than one name for this sauce. The one I have is listed as Salsa alla Meretrice which translates to pretty much the same thing.

Well, here... I'll let you read what Epicurious says...

Puttanesca sauce; alla puttanesca

[poot-tah-NEHS-kah]
Generally served with pasta, this sauce is a spicy mélange of tomatoes, onions, capers, black olives, anchovies, oregano and garlic, all cooked together in olive oil. A dish on a menu described as alla puttanesca signals that it's served with this sauce. The name puttanesca is a derivation of puttana , which in Italian means "***** ." (Gail inserts translation-- "Lady of the Evening.") According to one story, the name purportedly comes from the fact that the intense fragrance of this sauce was like a siren's call to the men who visited such "ladies of pleasure."

--
Here are a couple of variations on the sauce, also from Epicurious.

FUSILLI WITH PORCINI PUTTANESCA SAUCE

92% would make it again

Porcini mushrooms smooth out the intense flavors of this traditional sauce of tomatoes, olives, anchovies and capers. Although puttanesca sauce is typically served with penne or spaghetti, fusilli holds the sauce better.
1 1/3 cups hot water
1/2 ounce (about 3/4 cup) dried porcini mushrooms
1 28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes in juice
1 1/4 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
12 Niçois olives, pitted, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
8 ounces fusilli pasta
Combine 1 1/3 cups hot water and porcini in small bowl. Let stand until porcini are soft, about 25 minutes. Strain porcini, reserving liquid; discard sandy residue in bottom of bowl. Coarsely chop porcini.
Drain tomatoes, reserving juice. Bring juice to boil in large saucepan. Add onion and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer until onion is tender, about 15 minutes. Add porcini, reserved porcini liquid, tomatoes, olives and next 6 ingredients. Partially cover pot and simmer sauce until thickened slightly, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta. Return to pot. Add sauce to pasta. Toss to blend.
Serves 4.


Bon Appétit
March 1997



RICE WITH PUTTANESCA SAUCE

This fresh, uncooked version of a classic pasta sauce is also delicious served over rice. The rich nutty flavor of brown rice stands up well to the piquant flavors of the sauce. If you prefer a cooked sauce, you can saute the garlic and tomatoes in the olive oil, then add the remaining ingredients except the rice and heat through.
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup black Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
4 to 6 cups hot cooked short- or long-grain brown or other rice
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic and oil. Add the basil, parsley, salt and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over the hot cooked rice.
Serves 4.



A Cook from Pittsburgh, PA on 08/28/00
This is a wonderful recipe. Very easy to prepare and delicious. I love Pasta Puttanesca, and this is even better.

The recipe I have follows:

The legend on this one, by the way, says that the sauce was reputedly created by the prostitutes of Naples, possibly because it could be prepared quickly and between assignments.

Salsa alla Meretrice
(Harlot's Sauce)

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 anchovies, cut into pieces
4 1/2 cups (1 2 pound, 3 ounce can) Italian plum tomatoes, put through food mill
8 stuffed green olives, sliced
8 pitted black olives, sliced
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon, or a pinch of dried red pepper

Sauté garlic in the oil until soft;add the anchovies. When anchovies have broken apart, add the tomatoes; simmer for ten minutes. Blend in olives, capers, basil, and red pepper. Simmer in uncovered pan for 20 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Serve on vermicelli or other pastas. Makes 4 cups.

(From: The Complete Book of Pasta)


[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 11-05-2000).]

[mlou]

emilycat,
I wasn't making it, I just wondered what it was. I just tasted capers for the first time and really liked them as you do. When I asked people what you could do with them that was the answer.

Oh Gail!
That was much more than I ever dreamed of in an answer, Thank You so much for your trouble http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif It sounds really good and I think I will have to try it. I wouldn't really mind having a little siren help, haha

[Gail]

You're welcome. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

No biggie, though...mostly just a lot of cutting and pasting so you could have some idea what the stuff is all about... Plus, I couldn't resist the stories.

[Ohioan]

mlou,
capers are also good tossed into a salad, or cooked in a caponata or ratatouille, or in a chopped-tomato topping for fish or tofu, or in fact anywhere you have a hankering for their lovely salty-vinegary taste. Try a few in (or on) mashed potatoes, too.

Cheers, Phoebe

[mightyh]

I throw capers into chicken (or pork) piccata--goes great with the lemony mushroom taste.

[Jeanne G]

mlou,
Thank you for the topic. I've never eaten Puttanesca before.

Gail,
Thank you for the recipes. AND the definition!! They look wonderful!!!

[venus]

Don't forget capers and smoked salmon! It may be a New York thing but the two are divine together. I also believe that capers are part of the sauce for Steak Diane, but I am not 100% certain.

Gail, my mouth is watering reading your recipes. I may have to make pasta tonight http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif

[MaryH]

Gail,

I made the puttanesca recipe that goes wih rice (but made rotelli pasta). Very, very good. I like my sauce warm, so I cooked it. Also I looked for plum tomatoes but could only find Roma, so I substituted those. (Of course, those may be the same thing, I don't know.) My husband really liked it. A definite repeater. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/cool.gif