Madam's Pasta

A couple of nights ago we were watching Jamie Oliver's show on Netflix, the episode where he was making Pasta Puttanesca. I always forget about this dish but it is one of my favorites. This is a sauce that incorporates all your favorite salty things (olives, anchovies, capers) with tomatoes, garlic, and basil. I'm not exactly sure why this pasta is named such, translated as "the prostitutes' pasta." Among the theories: the short amount of time it takes to make, because we all know a good lady-of-the-evening is a busy girl; maybe the salty/sweet combination. Or because its gorgeous smell made people want to come to the brothel. Nothing says "I love you for the next 10 minutes" like food, after all. Who cares, it's delicious. It comes from the Southern part of Italy, Naples and the Campagnia region. This does indeed explain the anchovies and the olives...and I suppose the prostitutes too.

So to make this sauce you can go a number of routes, but here's the one we did last night - pretty yummy...

Olive oil

4-5 cloves of smashed and chopped garlic

1 cup of chopped mixed olives, pits removed...(kalamata, big green ones, gaeta, doesn't matter as long as they're salty) - We used half cracked green/half kalamata

1 tin of flat anchovies in Oil, chopped - SAVE the oil

1/4 cup drained capers (if you'd like more, go for it)

Pinch of chili flakes

1-1.5 cup crushed/pureed tomatoes from can or garden - Jamie O used whole canned that he chopped up but I like the saucy feel of the puree.

Basil, a nice punch maybe 10-12 big leaves torn or sliced

(Get everything chopped and ready cause this sauce moves FAST, that includes having your water on the boil when you start)

Pour the olive oil from the anchovies into a saute pan, add enough extra from a bottle to get at least 2-3 tablespoons of oil in there. Saute the garlic till it starts to turn golden then add the anchovies and saute till they start to break up. Add the olives and capers with the chili flakes. At this point put the pasta in your boiling salted water - we used Linguine - cook till just before they reach the al dente phase while you finish the sauce (say 5 minutes if they're like spaghetti or linguine, a minute or two more if they are thicker noodles). Once those ingredients have sauteed for a couple of minutes add the tomatoes. Simmer while the noodles get to that "just under-cooked" point. Add the pasta to the saute pan to finish cooking, adding water from the pot to thin the sauce if it gets too thick. When the pasta reaches "done" (aka al dente) toss in the chopped basil and enjoy. DO NOT top with cheese. It doesn't really go.

I scarfed it. Not very lady like, but puttans are just slightly less than elegant society so I suppose it works. If you're looking to shake up your pasta I really recommend it. We had a grilled fennel salad with shallot-Dijon dressing in addition , and a Tempranillo which cut the salt nicely. Not a half bad Monday night dinner.

Check out my grill - Part 1?

Fire. Fire and shiny things. Okay maybe grills aren't shiny things to most of you, but they are to me. Like the diamonds in my engagement ring, I cannot stop staring at our grill...mostly when we're cooking on it, but I have been known to go out to the *tiny* back deck and stare at it (I also might have a staring problem). Now, to be upfront, we don't have a charcoal grill, we are not allowed these on Chicago decks; we've got this lovely little gas Weber. However, one day we will get the Big Green Egg and then my life will be complete. Let it be said that charcoal is ideal, I envy those who have it and we have been known to usurp our friends' grills when we visit. Gas is okay though...passable, and both the Husband and I use ours almost daily during the short Chicago summer.

So you want to grill on gas. Um. Turn it on, go.


So you want to grill with charcoal...ah, yes. Yes. Throw the lighter fluid out. Better yet, don't buy any. Why people think that their food has to have the chemical before/during/aftertaste... Anyway, get a chimney. If you're cheap, get some sticks and paper and mound your coals on that, but the chimney is a work of genius. The Husband loves these, and they get the coals all nice and hot real fast like. Once your colas are good to go, the sky is the limit!

Lately we have done so many meals on the grill, like smoked some ribs on a friend's Weber, and we did our first octopus just the other day. Vegetables are killer good; this method of cooking turns even the proudest meat-potato veteran into a vegetarian - WAIT, I hate that word - a veggie-respect-mature-adult. Some of our favorite grillables are asparagus, zucchini, onions (spring and mature), peppers, radicchio, tomatoes, eggplant, corn on the cob, mushrooms, and the list goes on. Brush them with a little oil or butter, salt and pepper shower and on the grill they go. AND may I recommend a Romesco sauce to accompany, mine goes like this...


Romesco Sauce: Into a food processor put 3 roasted red peppers seeded, 2-3 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup toasted hazlenuts, one chopped tomato seeded, a splash of redwine vinegar to taste - no more than 1T, salt/pepper, and olive oil once the machine is going (1/4-1/2 cup??). If the sauce is too runny I add some chopped day old white bread toasted. This=Heaven. It's good with meats too.


We always have chicken breasts on hand in the summer, and sausages and beef are also frequent visitors of those spankin' hot grates. Fish can be tricky, and other seafood is even trickier. My gorgeous Japanese friend inspired me recently. She mentioned she and her husband had just grilled baby octopus. What what what?! I mean, I love octopus. We frequently get it while dining out at such places as Evanston's UNION (our favorite hang-out spot) and Campagnola, and Chicago's Antiprema. It's a tasty little creature, but never cooking it at home I was intrigued and nervous...and hungry.



On a visit to Mitsuwa Asian Market, while on an adventure to IKEA to get our new bookcase, we found some lovely little gems already skewered. It was a sign from the heavens. Theywere already boiled, so we grilled them on high to a crispy texture and topped them with a kalamata olive/green onion dressing with grilled lemon. Oh my GOD. You have to do this. THEY WERE RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. If you're just to freaked out to cook them at home, go out and eat them. The Husband proclaimed it was the best meal we've ever cooked...and that, I think, is saying something.