The Best Pasta alla Puttanesca

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Simple, quick and delicious – and filled with love…my Pasta alla Puttanesca is made for sharing, so grab your friends, a bottle of your favourite red and get ready to share the love with this lively Italian classic… just perfect!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

250g linguine or fettuccine
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 rashers of streaky bacon, sliced
2 x 400g tins tomatoes
4 anchovies (or to taste)
½ cup whole olives, stones removed
½ cup capers, rinsed
1 cup basil leaves, picked from the stem
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

Prepare your pasta as per the packet. This should give you enough time to make your sauce.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and cook garlic until soft, say about 5 minutes. Throw in your bacon and cook until crispy. Add the tomatoes and allow to cook away for another 5 minutes, giving it a stir now and again to show your sauce some love.

Add anchovies, and watch your sauce deepen in intensity. The colour will change and the sauce is now half-way ready. You should be able to smell the difference. Cook for 2-5 minutes, ensuring the anchovies have melted into the tomatoes. Now olives, capers and basil leaves. Cook slowly, stir slowly, love your sauce, and you should be just about ready. Taste and season with plenty of salt and black pepper. Before serving throw in a fistful of Parmesan.

To Serve: Toss the sauce through the hot pasta and enjoy it in a large serving bowl, with bread, more Parmesan, red wine, friends – and one fork.