ORECCHIETTE ALLA "PUTTANESCA" (APULIAN "STREETWALKER"-STYLE ORECCHIETTE)

SOURCE: LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER. THE ITALIAN COUNTRY TABLE: HOME COOKING FROM ITALY’S FARMHOUSE KITCHENS.

Unlike the bona fide and fabled dish associated with the “fireflies” or “telephone rings” of southern Italy, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the original host of the award-winning American public radio program on food and cooking, The Splendid Table, reimagines her Puttanesca recipe from the fictionally picturesque perspective of a married farmer from Puglia, who visits the Quarteri Spagnoli in Naples for the first time. Not only does he foolishly give in to carnal indiscretions, but he also manages to get an unforgettable taste of Pasta alla Puttanesca offered to him. The farmer returns home and conceals his extramarital escapade from his spouse by raving about his favorite meal on that trip. Harboring a suspicious inkling of her husband’s activities, she recreates and injects her Apulian twist on his memory of Puttanesca using the local ear-shaped orecchiette pasta, uncooked but farm-fresh ingredients, and wild arugula (Diplotaxis muralis) leaves. What happens next to the farmer as the orecchiette touches his taste buds leaves a cliffhanger that can only be addressed by actualizing the recipe into the kitchen.

Ingredients

4 cups/1 kilogram ice cubes

1/2 cup/26 grams thinly sliced onions

1 tablespoon/2 grams finely chopped basil leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

1 teaspoon/1 gram finely chopped marjoram or oregano, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

1 teaspoon/1 gram finely chopped Italian parsley, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

1 teaspoon/3 grams finely chopped garlic

Salt

OPTIONAL: 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and mashed into a paste

1/3 cup/60 grams coarsely chopped black olives, preferably Puglia, Liguria OR Niçoise varieties

3 pounds/1.4 kilograms ripe tomatoes, unpeeled and chopped into 1/2-inch/1.27-cm cubes OR 1 1/2 cups/80 grams sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted in hot water for 30 minutes, drained, and chopped into 1/2-inch/1.27-cm cubes

1 teaspoon/5 mL red wine vinegar

1/2 cup/120 grams crumbled hard goat cheese, preferably Pecorino Ricotta Salata, Cacio Romano, OR feta

2 tablespoons/30 mL extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon/14 grams tomato paste

OPTIONAL: Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound/380 grams orecchiette

1/3 cup/7 grams coarsely chopped wild OR baby arugula leaves

Specific Equipment

Medium-sized bowl

Large mixing bowl

Deep-bottomed stockpot

Colander

Large mixing forks to toss the orecchiette

Serves 4 to 6

Instructions

1. Place half the ice cubes in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the onions and top with the rest of the ice cubes. Cover with cold water and chill in a refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Stir basil, marjoram or oregano, parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon/1 gram salt until well-blended. Add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes, vinegar, cheese, oil, and tomato paste until well-blended. Adjust with salt according to taste. Sprinkle with little freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

3. Cook the orecchiette in a stockpot of boiling salted water until al dente or almost but not quite tender. Drain the orecchiette in a colander.

4. Return the orecchiette to the stockpot and place over medium-high heat. Spoon most of the liquid in the sauce into the pot. Stir in the drained pasta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the orecchiette has absorbed the liquid.

5. Transfer the orecchiette into the large mixing bowl and toss with the sauce, tomatoes, cheese, drained onion, and arugula until well-blended. Adjust with salt and pepper according to taste before serving.