Garlicky Puttanesca Pasta Salad

I spotted this recipe on the Food and Wine website – a recipe by Ann Taylor Pittman, published on 08-2019. Just the word “puttanesca” got my attention since it’s probably my favorite pasta if I was forced to choose.

I was curious about this recipe. What makes this pasta a salad? It utilizes casarecce shaped pasta, cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic, anchovies, prosciutto, and capers. The difference is that a vinaigrette is added! I had to make it.

If you want to know more about Ann Taylor Pittman, she has a website. She has published one cookbook on her own, titled
Everyday Whole Grains, and one for Cooking Light magazine, co-authored with Scott Mowbray, which garnered a James Beard award.

I’ve recently learned about real Sicilian capers, and used these in this recipe, thanks to Amazon, of course.

 

Warm, Garlicky Puttanesca Pasta Salad

Printable recipe below

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced shallot (from 1 medium shallot)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 large garlic clove, grated
12 ounces uncooked casarecce pasta
4 (1/2-ounce) prosciutto slices
3 oil-packed anchovies, finely chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Castelvetrano olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons drained nonpareil capers
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, for garnish (optional)

Place tomatoes in a medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and ground pepper, and toss to combine. Add shallot, oil, vinegar, and garlic; toss well. Let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid; drain pasta.

Place 2 prosciutto slices on paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH until crisp, 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 prosciutto slices.

Drain tomato mixture over a bowl, reserving liquid. Combine warm pasta, anchovies, tomato liquid, and 1/3 cup cooking liquid in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook until sauce slightly thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in drained tomato mixture, sliced basil, olives, oregano, and capers. Crumble prosciutto over pasta; garnish with basil leaves and, if desired, cracked pepper.

Believe it or not, this didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped.

I love all of the elements, but it somehow didn’t work. I think I miss the sauciness of Puttanesca.

And I wasn’t comparing it to pasta puttanesca, because there was no real similarity.

However, you might like it!