The pungent aromas and flavors of traditional puttanesca are assertive and bold. Puttanesca, a southern Italian dish, literally translates to “in the style of prostitutes.” Tomatoes, garlic, olives, anchovies and red peppers provide you with a healthy dose of antioxidants and omega 3’s. Check out the my version of the traditional puttanesca here.
For this version of blonde puttanesca, eliminate the tomatoes, add a little fresh yellowfin tuna, and some greens, such as arugula or spinach, to make an even more nutritious and less acidic whole meal pasta sauce.
My friend Carol, who shared this adapted version of a New York Times recipe with me, eats a gluten and dairy free diet. So, she chose to serve the blonde puttanesca sauce with wide egg brown rice noodles for a tasty gluten free meal.
This recipe makes enough for 2 generous main course servings or 4 primi or appetizer, first course servings. Carol added arugula to the blonde puttanesca mixture, but you can choose to add other greens such as spinach or chard. You can use either black or green olives and we also added artichoke hearts. Many of the recipes for the blonde puttanesca use canned tuna but Carol’s version uses fresh yellowfin tuna that was cut into small bite sized pieces.
This recipe recommends reserving the pasta water and adding it slowly to the puttanesca to keep it moist and fluid. You can also opt to use a vegetable, seafood or chicken stock. The red pepper flakes, much like the traditional tomato sauce, add a nice kick. The lemon juice and the zest bring all of the flavors to the forefront. Use a microplane if you have one to zest one lemon. These fine lemon zest shavings release a lemon oil which has a more intense flavor than the lemon juice.
Any type of noodles or pasta with or without gluten will compliment these ingredients and provide you with a satisfying first course or complete meal in a bowl!!
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