Puttanesca is a sauce that plies its trade all year round, with ingredients — pantry staples like anchovies, garlic and olives — at the ready whenever the desire strikes. But this puttanesca takes advantage of spring greens, using fat green garlic cloves and baby spinach to lend a pungent verdancy to a tried-and-true dish. (If green garlic isn’t available, use regular, but use less.)
Ingredients
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound spaghettini or spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup drained capers
1 cup pitted and sliced green Cerignola or Picholine olives
10 fat green garlic cloves, peeled, sliced ¼-inch thick or use 8 regular garlic cloves
1/3 cup chopped scallions including greens
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 cups baby spinach leaves (11 ounces)
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook until it is not quite al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
Reserve a cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, warm ¼ cup of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the anchovies and capers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the capers start to brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the remaining ¼ cup oil, olives, garlic, scallions and red pepper flakes; increase heat to high if using green garlic (leave it at medium high for regular garlic) and cook until garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Add a splash of pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Season with salt, if necessary. Toss in the basil leaves.
from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013619-pasta-with-green-puttanesca
