Tuna Puttanesca

A while back, I had tuna puttanesca for the first time. It wasn't my favorite, but I didn't dislike it. When meal planning for this week, I stumbled across a different recipe for tuna puttanesca and thought I should give it a second try. So tonight we had it, and I must say I really loved it second time around! I'm not sure if I just knew what to expect this time, or if I just prefer this recipe over the other. Either way, it going to made more frequently in this house.

According to epicurious.com:

puttanesca sauce; alla puttanesca

[poot-tah-NEHS-kah]
Generally served with pasta, this sauce is a spicy mélange of tomatoes, onions, capers, black olives, anchovies, oregano and garlic, all cooked together in olive oil. A dish on a menu described as alla puttanesca signals that it's served with this sauce. The name puttanesca is a derivation of puttana , which in Italian means "whore." According to one story, the name purportedly comes from the fact that the intense fragrance of this sauce was like a siren's call to the men who visited such "ladies of pleasure."

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=4146#ixzz0qDUdopxy

Linguine With Tuna Puttanesca:

kosher salt

12 oz linguine

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. capers, drained

1/2 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives (or black olives)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, save juice

4 basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish

1 5 oz. can albacore tuna, packed in olive oil

freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the capers and olives and fry 2 more minutes. Add just the diced tomatoes, saving the juice. Cook until the tomatoes are slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved tomato juice and stir until sauce thickens. Add the tuna, with it oil, breaking it up with a fork, and season with salt.

3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and the reserved cooking water and sauce. Season with pepper and garnish with more basil.