Spaghetti with Tomato Caper Sauce
For all those who love capers.
Servings: 3 people
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh pasta dried works well too
- 1 large shallot or two smaller ones, peeled and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 - 12 black olives
- 14.5 ounce whole plum tomatoes peeled
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 4 tablespoons pasta water
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh basil for plating and serving
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese freshly grated, for serving
Instructions
- Start by bringing a large pot of salter water to a boil and then prep the ingredients.Fresh pasta cooks in just minutes. Dried pasta can take 8 to 10 minutes so adjust the cooking times with the sauce making accordingly. The sauce can be made and sit while the pasta cooks if necessary but try to time them so they are both ready to serve at the same time.
- Heat a sauce pot or fry pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and when hot, add the shallots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the olives, cook for a minute, stir and add the can of whole tomatoes with juice. Cover, lower heat and let this cook 5 minutes. Every once in a while, I like to uncover the sauce pot and break up the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon. The longer they cook, the easier it is to break them apart.
- Add the chicken stock, adjust heat to a slow simmer and continue cooking for 5 minutes. At this point, the tomatoes should be easy to break apart with a spoon.
- Season with a little salt & pepper.
- Add the capers, a few tablespoons of pasta water and then the basil. Stir and cook for a few more minutes until all the ingredients are hot.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper if needed.
- If the sauce seems too thick, you can add a little more chicken stock until you get the sauce to the desired consistency.
- Drain the pasta, transfer some to a couple of bowls, top with sauce and finish with a sprig of fresh basil as a garnish.
- Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese on top and serve.