Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca
From The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook: A Collection of Our Favorite Recipes for the Home Chef

Prep time: 20 minutes (time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta)
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28oz/976ml) tomatoes, do not drain
3 tbsp Nicoise (or Kalamata) olives, pitted and chopped
3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
½ cup parsley, chopped
1-2 tsp red chili pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you like your pasta)
1 lb/ 500g penne or other short pasta (I used multigrain fusilli this time)
1 lb/ 500g shrimp, peeled and deveined
Parmesan cheese to serve if desired

Directions
1. Cook the pasta as per package directions.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add 2 tsp of the garlic and stir for a minute or two, until you smell the aroma. Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, ¼ cup of parsley and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook, uncovered for about 10 minutes, until thickened and set aside.

3. In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the rest of the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and remaining parsley and sauté for 1-3 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. They should be opaque but starting to turn pink. You don’t want to over cook them at this point.

4. Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce and cook for another couple of minutes to marry the flavors.

5. Toss with drained pasta and serve with grated cheese if desired.