Spaghetti Puttanesca

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 sliced jalapeño peppers (or red pepper flakes)

2 heads sliced garlic, peeled

2 onions diced onions

2 cans minced anchovy fillets

2 28 oz can of tomatoes

1 cup chopped kalamata olives

1 cup capers, drained

1 lb. spaghetti

Grated pecorino or parmagiano cheese

(anchovies not pictured).

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, combine 1/2 cup of the oil, onion and jalapenos. Cook until translucent then create a space for and add garlic and anchovies . Cook over medium heat until garlic is very lightly golden, about 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as necessary to keep it gently sizzling.)

Add tomatoes, stir to combine, and bring to a bare simmer.

Blend the above with an immersion blender

Add capers and olives and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, place spaghetti in a large skillet, sauté pan, or saucepan and cover with water. Add a small pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking. Continue to simmer until pasta is cooked to just under al dente (about 1 minute less than the package recommends).

Using tongs, transfer pasta to sauce. Alternatively, drain pasta through a colander, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Add drained pasta to sauce.

Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to sauce and increase heat to bring pasta and sauce to a vigorous simmer. Cook, stirring and shaking the pan and adding more pasta water as necessary to keep sauce loose, until pasta is perfectly al dente, 1 to 2 minutes longer. (The pasta will cook more slowly in the sauce than it did in the water.) Stir in remaining olive oil, parsley, and cheese.

Season with pepper. (should be plenty salty already.) 

Serve immediately with more grated cheese at the table.

Barrett

More jalapeños! Slightly less capers. So fkn good.

Chef's notes