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Recent Posts
Why We Eat
Why do we eat?
We eat because we are hungry…
We eat to come together….
We connect when we sit at the table and as we share a meal, we share our story with one another.
We eat because we can!
I have joined the Salvation Army Red Kettle this year to raise awareness that there are children, families that Don’t Eat, that can’t eat; with Food Stamps being cut, now is the time to help each other out.
Please support your local Food Banks…
Mangia, Mangia…No Talk!
What’s Cooking
Lately juggling a job, two school schedules and the house has been fulfilling; LOL, said me never!
Monday…Reminiscing
I am reminiscing of a time that was so long ago…I think it’s because it is Monday today.
Pasta Alla Puttanesca; with grape tomatoes
This is a very naughty Pasta dish
It’s called Pasta Alla Puttanesca….translated as Pasta of the whores….oh my!
I have no idea why it’s called Pasta Alla Puttanesca but I did some research and found that not too many know why it’s referred to a pasta dish that supposedly originated from a brothel or its occupants. In truth, this pasta dish is quick and easy , it is vibrant, tangy and wow satisfying! 😉
Wikipedia writes that Sandro Petti invented it in the 1950s, co-owner of Rancio Fellone, a famous Ischian restaurant and nightspot. He created it when near closing one evening, Petti found a group of customers sitting at one of his tables. Petti was low on ingredients and told them he didn’t have enough to make them a meal. They complained that it was late and they were hungry; make any kind of garbage they insisted (puttanata qualsiasi). All he had in the kitchen was tomatoes, olives, and capers and he created the sauce. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_alla_puttanesca
I imagined a sort of opera-esque scene of “ladies of the night” creating this dish while singing arias of their lives as a whore… what can I say I have a vivid imagination, plus I love musicals.
Pasta alla Puttanesca (my version)
Ingredients
Two containers of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes (sliced or cut in half)
3 or 4 slices of anchovies
A handful of capers ( about a ¼ cup)
3 garlic cloves chopped
½ of tablespoon of red pepper flakes
1 lb of of spaghetti… you can also use linguine, or fettuccine – the pasta in my pictures is fettuccine regatta
3 or 4 leaves of basil ( roll them like a cigar and slice)
Put up the pot for the pasta and start to boil the water
Chop the garlic and add to a frying pan that is coated with olive oil, add the red pepper flakes
Next add the slices of anchovies – this adds a layer of taste to the dish – while the anchovies fry in the oil with the garlic it dissolves. Once the garlic starts to cook for a minute or two you can add the tomatoes, season with sea salt and black pepper, let that simmer on a low heat.
At this point, get the pasta water to boil (this is a quick sauce but I try to simmer it a little longer without drying it out) once the water is boiling add your pasta; I follow the instruction on the box, 8 to 9 minutes to make pasta al dente. About a minute or two, before the pasta is done I add the capers and the sliced fresh basil to the tomatoes that are now in a bubbly sauce. When the pasta is done, add to the sauce and mix well and carefully. At this point to make it somewhat creamy, I add about 1 to 2 ladles of pasta water. That’s it – so easy, so fast – It’s scandalous!
Serve with Italian Bread and a salad
Mangia, Mangia…No Talk!
Late Night….Means No Post
I wasn’t able to write last night; it was a late night. Yet I want to keep the momentum and offer an invitation to browse Mangia, Mangia…No Talk!
Ssh…..No Talking: really?
I’m a wife, mom, sister and friend that loves to cook and feed everyone that comes to my home; that is my gift to those who visits and at times I am rewarded with a moment of silence because I know that without forcing the code of silence it comes naturally!