Gordon Ramsay Academy Recipe: Pasta Puttanesca Sauce

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

200g chopped tomatoes (see Tip, below)

6 black olives, pitted and halved

1 anchovy fillet (optional)

1 tsp capers, drained and rinsed o remove excess brine

½ tsp dried oregano

1 pinch of chilli flakes

Sea salt

To serve (optional):

Parmesan (or vegetarian hard cheese)

Few sprigs of parsley, leaves chopped

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan then add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until soft.

2. Add in the tomatoes, olives, anchovy (if using), capers, oregano and chilli flakes. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

3. Simmer gently for 4-5 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced. Season to taste with salt.

4. To serve, toss through your pasta and finish with a little grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, if you like.

Chef’s tip:

When tomatoes are in season, swap the tinned tomatoes for 200g fresh vine tomatoes – roughly dice them then add to the sauce as above. Chuck in the green vine as well for added flavour, just scoop out before serving.

Serving suggestion:

Remove the olives, anchovy and capers and you have a deliciously simple tomato sauce – ready for pasta, meatballs or to top pizzas.

Make it dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan:

Simply leave out the anchovy and/or Parmesan as needed.