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Pasta Puttanesca

Years ago I bussed tables and bartended at an Italian restaurant. They didn't have this dish on the menu, but the chef would occasionally make it for the staff meal. I've never been able to fully recreate it, but this does taste pretty good, and it's really easy to throw together once you've done it a couple of times.

I like to add a can of tuna, which isn't traditional at all, as far as I know - and totally optional. Alternately, this can be plant-based if you omit the anchovies - but that's the only reason I'd remove them, because they're a big reason why this tastes so good.

Oh and also: get the good tomatoes for this one, eg. the San Marzano type.

Ingredients

1 large can good quality whole tomatoes, e.g. San Marzano type (see step 7)
half a tin of anchovies (about 6 whole fillets)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
a dozen whole kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
3 or 4 teaspoons capers
1 can tuna (optional)
1-2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
chili flakes, around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
salt & pepper
olive oil

Directions

1. Put 3-4 tablespoons olive oil in your favourite saucepan, and warm it up gently on medium heat - not too hot.

2. While it's heating up, get your ingredients ready: mince the garlic, pit and chop the olives, crack open the anchovies, and open and drain the tuna, if using. The rest of this process happens pretty quickly, so be prepared.

3. Once the oil is warm, add the half-tin of anchovies. Smoosh them into the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. You're trying to get them to melt into the oil.

4. When the anchovies are mostly dissolved, pop in the garlic, chili flakes, and herbs, and cook for 30 seconds to a minute, stirring constantly. You only want the garlic to get soft, not brown, so make sure your pan isn't too hot still.

5. Add the chopped olives, capers, and bay leaves. The olives and capers should sizzle a bit when they hit the pan, but not violently. Keep stirring, and warm up this mixture for another minute or so. If the smell is life-affirming, then you've nailed it so far.

6. Add the tuna, if using, along with another couple tablespoons of olive oil, until the mixture glistens and you're slightly worried that it might be too much olive oil. Give it a few grinds of black pepper. (If you've added the tuna, then cook, stirring often, for a minute or two, otherwise, start adding the tomatoes now.)

7. Add the tomatoes. I generally squeeze out a bunch of the liquid into the pan, and then grind them with a hand blender in the can. If you prefer a little more texture, Kenji Lopez-Alt suggests putting them in a bowl and crushing them up with your hands. Either way, get them mushed up and in the pan, and stir it all together.

8. Still on medium heat, cover and bring to a low simmer while stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning: it probably still needs some salt, but not a ton - say, around 1/2 teaspoon. Now turn the heat down, and simmer gently for as long as you can hold out - hopefully that's around 45 minutes to an hour.

9. Boil up some nice pasta and enjoy!