In Italian, pasta alla puttanesca translates to “pasta in the style of whores.” One story behind this charming name claims that old-timey Italian prostitutes made an aromatic sauce to entice clients (just in case their addled vaginas weren’t doing the trick). Another tale claims that ye olde ladies of the night were too busy – what with all that profitable banging – to spend much time in the kitchen and developed this kitchen-sink recipe out of necessity. Or maybe they just had a taste for the brinier things in life.
Whatever the truth, let’s thank those ancient whores for this delicious, easy-to-prepare pasta dish. I make mine different each time; though like a true whore, I can throw it together without much thought. Case in point: Last night I thawed a frozen batch of tomato sauce, dumped in a half jar of capers (juice and all), and tossed in leftover olives and artichoke hearts from a weekend antipasti platter. And then I simmered the sauce for 15 minutes. And then I tossed with pasta. And then I had sex for money, a few times.
And that’s how you make authentic pasta all puttanesca.
