I don’t eat a lot of pasta, but when I do it’s a real guilty pleasure. Not that I’m doing the traditional dairy-heavy, rich, creamy sauces that would make it something requiring the adjective “guilty,” and I don’t even use a cup of olive oil. But it’s a comfort food and it’s a treat. For this recipe I used a corn-based gluten-free pasta because my mother prefers the texture of it to other gluten-free pastas including buckwheat and brown rice-based paste (Italian lesson number 1: One pasta –> two paste. See? Now you’re fancy too…).
For me, the “guilty pleasure” part mostly comes from the artichokes.
I could live on artichokes.
And I love capers for salty umami flavour. I tossed in some olives for extra salty goodness (mostly because it’s pretty standard in a puttanesca) and some tomatoes. Unfortunately it was WAY too acidic with all those canned products. If you can find frozen artichoke hearts instead, you’ll be much better off. And sweeter canned (or fresh) tomatoes (ex: San Marzanos) will help too. Otherwise add a sprinkle of sugar to balance the brininess. And if you can do cheese that will help bring down the acidity a lot too. A good sprinkle of freshly grated Romano or even better – a mild goat’s milk cheese – will do wonders. Daiya just doesn’t cut it.
Gluten-free Pasta Puttanesca
8 ounces gluten-free spaghetti or vermicelli noodles
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and thinly sliced (not from a can)
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (San Marzanos or other sweet variety)
1 package frozen artichoke hearts (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup grated Romano or sweet goat’s milk cheese, optional
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, bring water back to a boil, partially cover, and reduce heat to medium-low to simmer until al dente (after about 5 minutes taste a noodle. It could take up to 10 minutes). Drain and reserve.
While that’s going, heat the oil in another large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Add half the parsley, and all the olives, capers, and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook 2 minutes more. Then add the white wine. Cook 2 minutes.
Stir in the diced tomatoes and artichokes and simmer about 5 minutes. You may need to break up the artichokes and cook them an extra few minutes if they were frozen.
Add the drained pasta and remaining half the parlsey. Stir to combine. Place in large serving dish and sprinkle with cheese. Or add cheese to individual servings.
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