Whore Pasta - or - if you want to be PC Spaghetti Puttanesca

In case you wondering about the title of this blog "Puttanesca" means whore in Italian. I have no idea why this dish has such a scandalous name but I do know that this pasta is delicious. I got this recipe from the Williams Sonoma catalog that I get in the mail a few times a month. (I love this catalog, I lust after all the fancy kitchen items I can't afford or have no room for.) I have tried a few recipes from Williams Sonoma and have always been happy with the results. I made a few changes to this recipe to suit my tastes and hope you and your family enjoy:

Spaghetti Puttanesca

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced anchovy fillet (this ingredient sounded a bit weird but try it, it adds flavor but doesn't taste fishy)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with juices
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup pitted oil-cured black olives, sliced
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked until al dente
1 pound shrimp deveined and shelled

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and light brown, 12-15 minutes. Add the garlic and anchovy, cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook one more minute.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the tomatoes with their juices, capers, olives and tomato sauce. Cook until sauce is thickened about 15 minutes. Add dried oregano, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream and sugar, stir until combined.
In a separate sauce pan cook the shrimp until opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked shrimp to the puttanesca sauce.
Mix the sauce with the pasta. Serve immediately
Serves 4 to 6 depending on how hungry everyone is.  

Onions cooking with garlic and anchovies.

Puttanesca sauce

Cooked shrimp.

Serve your finished pasta with a green salad and bask in the compliments you receive from your family.

Till tomorrow...