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‘We should rediscover the pleasure of cooking, rather than eating, of creating little masterpieces with our own hands, even if they are ephemeral,’ wrote Sophia Loren in “Recipes and Memories” (1988), the cookbook in which the star immortalised her culinary skills and taught us how to prepare the great classics of Italian gastronomy. The key ingredient, according to her, is to do everything with love.
Among her timeless recipes is a native dish that she preserved with nostalgia as one of her childhood favourites, and which her fans will forever have the opportunity to try out in pure Italian glamour style. This is pasta alla puttanesca, a dish originating from the Quartieri Spagnoli district of Naples, which consists of a tomato sauce with garlic, black olives, capers and anchovies, traditionally served with spaghetti. It can be prepared in just 20 minutes.
‘Penne allá puttanesca’
Sophia Loren decided to replace spaghetti with ‘penne’, hence the title: ‘penne allá puttanesca’. The type of pasta you choose depends more on your taste.
First, boil the pasta in water with a pinch of salt until al dente. While it is cooking, Loren uses a pestle and mortar to crush garlic and anchovy fillets, although they can also be finely chopped with a knife. Next, sauté the garlic and anchovy paste in a little butter and oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped tomatoes, black olives and capers and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the pasta and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Buon appetito.
