Okay so first of all, forgive this awful picture :)) I woke up extra early this morning make Puttanesca. I’ve been making this for about 4 years now, and the I practically don’t follow the original recipe anymore…especially since the original recipe didn’t have any measurements. lol

Puttanesca:

3 tablespoons olive oil (to start, so add as necessary)

1 red onion(chopped in any way you want, i minced mine, you dont really need the onion if you dont like onion)

5 cloves of garlic(you can add more if you want the garlic taste to be dominant)

2/3 cup button mushrooms(which you can adjust too, if you want more, or less)

2 medium sized tomatoes(i wouldn’t decrease the number, but you could add 1-3  more)

1/3 cup black olives(likewise with mushrooms)

1/4 cup capers(only because my family and I like capers a lot, scrap if you don’t like capers)

1 can anchovies(I mix half initially, and then mix the other half when I’m done with everything, i dunno i just find that it tastes better that way)

Now here’s where you have a choice. You can choose to make your Puttanesca olive oil based or tomato based. Personally, I add both.

1-2 cup/s tomato sauce (for the sweet and sour kind of taste. if you want to add more, then go ahead, but it might end up overpowering the flavor so be careful)

OR

2/3 cup of olive oil(including the 3 tablespoons at the start. You can put more if you want)

OR

1 cup tomato sauce

1/3 cup of olive oil(including the 3 tablespoons at the start)

Now the procedure is really easy:

Saute the onions in olive oil, and then the garlic. The rest of the ingredients can go in the order above or you could try mixing it up. Like I said above, I use half the can of anchovies before adding the olive oil and the tomato sauce, and then add the other half when they’ve cooked for a while.

Aaaaaandddd

We’re done! It’s amazingly simple and it is a healthier option than having something cream based and fatty.

Notes:

If you’re using canned mushrooms like I do, just cut it like what you normally see. They are pre cooked before they are canned, so they don’t have to take too long before adding the next ingredient. As long as you think they have mixed with the flavors, add the tomatoes!

Likewise with tomatoes, you can eat them raw, so it’s the same idea. You can chop them however you like.

The olives could be chopped like what you see on pizza, which is what I do, and they don’t take too long to cook either.

The capers, I add at the same time with the olives just because they have strong flavors and well….I just do because it is easier and less time consuming lol

The anchovies should probably be minced too, since they’re really salty. You would not want to bit into a big piece.

Boil the tomato sauce before use. I don’t remember why, but my chef professor explained it to me before. Should help in food safety :)

Lastly, you don’t have to add salt and pepper, but you could if you want to. Personally, I add a pinch of rock salt, about a tablespoon of black pepper, a few dashes of cayenne pepper and thyme.

There you go! Enjoy :)