So this is “puttanesca” inspired. I wanted a vessel for anchovies.
6 anchovy fillets, each cut into 1/4s
1 small russet potato, small diced (picture #2)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 small yellow onion, brunoise
1/4 cup castelvetrano olives, sliced off the pit
1 tsp cappers, minced
1/2 16oz can of fired roasted tomatoes
115 grams high quality, durum wheat semolina, Italian pasta (this is Maurizio brand)
-get a big pot of water boiling. Salted like the Mediterranean.
-get a pan screaming hot with olive oil. Toss in potatoes and sear quickly 3 – 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined tray and set aside.
-clean the pan, sweat on medium-low the onions until translucent, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, turn up to medium high. Sweat for 2 minutes more. Add the anchovies. This should be crackling and frying aggressively now.
-drop your pasta. 12 minutes.
-add the tomatoes and turn to high. Let it cook down a little 7-10 minutes. The tomatoes are fire roasted so they have already broken down a bit. Add the olives and cappers. Check your pasta.
-reserve 4 cups pasta water. Drain pasta. It should be undercooked.
-add pasta and 2.5 cups of pasta water to pan. Let this cook down and reduce a lot. Almost all the way. Notice how we have only salted the water. As the water reduces the salinity of our sauce will increase.
-The marriage between pasta, starch and sauce needs to come together. Begin slapping the pan to emulsify. Add splash’s of pasta water. Keep tossing and making that pasta slap. It needs to make slapping noises. It should start looking creamy. (theres no butter and no cheese)
-drizzle olive oil while the final tosses are made.
-the potatoes are already completely cooked toss them in just to incorporate.
-plate and finish with cracked black pepper. Serve with toasted sourdough.
by MaLiCioUs420x