So, heavy snow and blocked roads meant our late Sunday lunch at son’s house an hour’s drive away was cancelled, we didn’t go to supermarket on Sunday for same reason, then my monthly dinner out on with chums on Monday was also cancelled.
Joan was out Monday so I had to make myself something from what we had, and did the classic ‘store cupboard’ meal.
Penne with Puttenesca Sauce.
Ingredients
Olive oil
Garlic
Tinned anchovies
Olives
Capers in brine
Chillies
Cayenne Pepper powder
Tin chopped tomatoes
Penne pasta
Method
Put large pan on medium heat add two very large cloves of garlic, sliced then roughly chopped.
Add 6 small anchovies, 3 small chopped chillies, cayenne powder, a dozen or so black olives chopped, and couple of spoonfuls of drained capers.
Stir till garlic starts to colour and anchovies have melted.
Pour excess juice from tin chopped tomatoes and reserve. Add chopped tomatoes to pan and raise heat till bubbling then turn down heat, put lid on pan and simmer. Use back of large spoon to crush any lumps of tomato. (add some reserved juice if sauce dries out, but I didn't need to)
Boil water in large pan, add pasta and cook till al dente, drain in colander. Add pasta to sauce and stir till thoroughly mixed.
I ate this with a salad of chopped iceberg, grape tomatoes, some chopped carrot (didn't have any cucumber), a couple of olives and sprinkled with sunflower seeds accompanied with lasses of Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo.
As I had the TV to myself, I caught up with the latest episode of Peaky Blinders and then started series 5 of Breaking Bad.
A good evening.
Notes: I used 3 'Spike' variety small chilles I'd grown this year and frozen, thought they may not give enough oomph so added some Cayenne pepper. Sauce had a tang but I'm chilli tolerant.