Recipe: Tagliatelle with pancetta, olives, and capers

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Puttanesca sauce is a traditional Italian sauce that’s quickly put together from pantry staples. If you have canned tomatoes, garlic, olives, anchovies and capers, you can make this simple but flavourful sauce in a flash. I’ve put my own twist on this recipe, by omitting the anchovies and adding pancetta, and substituting spaghetti with tagliatelle pasta.

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17 oz. (500 g) tagliatelle pasta

3 tbsp. (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

5 oz. (150 g) cubed pancetta

½ cup (125 mL) pitted mixed olives in oil

1 tbsp. (15 L) capers drained

1 28 oz. can whole peeled Italian tomatoes

1/4 tsp (1 mL) chili flakes

2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh basil, roughly chopped

Salt, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cubed pancetta and cook until crispy. Add chopped garlic, olives, capers and chili flakes. Cook for one minute. Add tomatoes and salt. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cook over medium heat for one hour until the tomato has broken down and created a sauce.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tsp. salt into the pot of water once it has started boiling, then add tagliatelle and cook per package directions. Once tagliatelle is ready, drain and add to the sauce. Toss the tagliatelle over low heat for one minute. Transfer tagliatelle to serving plate and garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Maria Fazzari Larosa is a cookbook author of Maria’s Italian Cucina from Burnaby who shares her recipe creations online @mariascucina on Instagram.

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