Jenny Lang is an Author currently working on a novel inspired by the life of Sarah Winchester, builder of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. If you would like to be notified when the book is available, please sign up here.
Quick Recipes for Busy Writers
Everyone needs a few “in the pocket” recipes for those times when you need a quick meal and you haven’t shopped (perhaps in weeks!). These are what I’m calling my “quick meals for busy writers” recipes.
Imagine this. You’ve been writing for hours. You’re in the zone and having your most product day ever, when all of a sudden the kids say, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” You emerge out of your writing stupor, shake your head to clear the confusion from suddenly seeing your office appear before your eyes, and think “dinner?”
And then you remember….Pasta Puttanesca.
Don’t be intimated by the ingredients list – this is truly a 30 minutes or less recipe. There is not a lot of prep (especially if you buy pre-sliced pepperoncini and Kalamata olives). Its simply a matter of opening cans and measuring out a few ingredients.
If you’re not familiar with Bucatini, it’s like spaghetti, only it’s thick, and hollow on the inside to soak up all that yummy sauce. It’s a favorite in my household, but you can use any sort of pasta you have lying around! Bucatini is sometimes hard to find, depending on where you shop.
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 pound Bucatina Pasta or pasta of your choice
- 1 pound Italian Sausage or Gourmet Sausage Flavor
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp anchovy paste optional
- 1 can crushed tomato (14.5 ounces)
- 1 can diced tomatoes in sauce (14.5 ounces)
- 1 tbsp oregano, dried
- 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
- 1/3 cup pepperocini, sliced Italian Hot Pepper
- 3 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp parsley, dried
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Set pot of water for pasta on stove to boil.
- While water is heating, gather all ingredients.
- If using, slice sausage into chunks about 1" thick. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to saute pan, preheat, then add sausage. Cook until sausage is cooked through.
- If necessary, slice pepperoncini (1/3 cup) and Kalamata Olives (1/2 cup) while sausage is cooking.
- Remove sausage and drain the pan, but no need to clean pan. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic (5 cloves minced), red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or to taste), and anchovy paste (1 tbsp - if using). Stir until garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- At this point your water is probably boiling. Add pasta to water and cook according to package instructions (about 8-9 minutes for buccatini).
- Add tomatoes (2 cans) and oregano (1 Tbsp). Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add olives (1/2 cup), pepperoncini (1/3 cup) and capers (3 Tbsp). Stir and let simmer 1 minute
- When pasta is done, retain 1/3 cup of the pasta water.
- Drain pasta and add to the simmering sauce. Add pasta water 1 Tbsp at a time, as needed, to thin the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed
- Top each serving with parsley and grated parmesan. Enjoy!
- If you'd like to serve this with garlic bread, try this Garlic Bread Fantastic from Allrecipes.
- visit www.jennylangauthor.com for more recipes and news about my upcoming book.
Notes
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