Spaghetti alla puttanesca (Naples' hookers' spaghetti)

For ➋
200 g regular whole-wheat thin spaghetti, vermicelli or capellini
50 g grated Parmigiano cheese*
puttanesca sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the directions.

Meanwhile make the puttanesca sauce.

When the pasta is done, drain it well* and add it to the sauce skillet, tossing it with the sauce to combine.

Serve on warmed plates. Top with grated cheese. Pour a generous glass of red wine.

*Alternatively, when the pasta has been drained, sprinkle with grated Parmigiano to make it rougher, so it will make the sauce stick better to the pasta.

The dish originated in Naples, its name derived from 'puttanesca', the hookers' way, as it was quick for the girls to prepare between customers. Or it was used to entice possible clients with a cheap, heated and aromatic meal into a brothel, nobody is really sure. Except that it is a very quick dish to make with ingredients straight from the (Italian) cupboard, even for regular housewives.
Picture shows WWII American GI searching entertainment in Naples.
Spicier variant: Spaghetti alla puttanesca.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.

Sugo alla puttanesca (Naples' hookers' sauce)

For ➋
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 pitted chopped black olives
2 tbs capers
1 ts anchovy paste (or 2 anchovy fillets)
1 tbs fresh oregano leaves or 1 ts dried
⅛ ts crushed red pepper flakes (or chili powder)*
1 can diced tomatoes (420 g)**
3 tbs chopped fresh rucola***

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium fire. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 m. Add the parsley, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano and crushed red pepper to the skillet, and sauté for 2 m more. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 m. Stir in the rucola*** and simmer for 1 m more, until the greens wilt slightly.

Serve with spaghetti, rigatoni or a (non-stuffed) pasta of choice.

*Or chop a small chili pepper.
**Use ripe Italian flesh tomatoes instead.
***Replace with Belgian endives for a special taste. Make a quicker version by deleting rucola.

The sauce originated in Naples, its name derived from puttanesca, the hookers' way. Read the story. Picture shows Italian women offering entertainment in Naples after WWII.
Spicier variant: Spaghetti alla puttanesca.