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Me this evening: damn, we have no food in the fridge. Ah well, that's OK, I'll make puttanesca...
AND THEN THERE WERE NO FREAKING ANCHOVIES
However, from the depths of last year's lockdown store cupboard emerged a forgotten can of tinned mackerel. It wouldn't have the salty punch of a can of anchovies, so a few small adjustments were needed - but dinner was saved, and the results were worth writing down.
Serves 2
Heat the oven to around 50 celsius. Pop in a couple of bowls/plates/something suitable for eating pasta off or out of.
Generously salt a large pan of water and set to boil.
Finely chop two fat cloves of garlic and one medium sized red chilli. Heat up a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil, and gently fry the garlic and chilli, plus half a teaspoon each of dried thyme, rosemary and oregano. After a couple of minutes, gently flake in a 115g can of mackerel in oil and allow to warm through. When the oil in the pan is gently sizzling again, add half a glass of dry white wine, stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper.
Add 250g fusilli to the boiling water. Cook for approx. 10 minutes. Meanwhile, leave the sauce to simmer until the wine, oil, tomato and fish have combined into something approximately the consistency of bolognese. When this consistency is achieved, turn off the direct heat and leave to sit until the pasta is done.
As the pasta is cooking, juice a lemon and chop a generous handful of fresh parsley.
When the pasta is done to your liking, drain it (reserving a cup of the salted, starchy water), remove the bowls/plates from the oven, and then use the pasta pan to stir through the fish and tomato sauce, the lemon, and the parsley through the fusilli. The sauce will be quite thick; add the reserved pasta water to taste, a little at a time, until the sauce is glossy and generously coating the pasta.
Ladle into the warmed bowls and serve - ideally with a final twist of black pepper and a glass of the wine you used in the sauce.
The real magic trick of this dish (which was a complete fluke) is the lemon juice, starchy water and fatty fish emulsifying to form a sauce that is super-creamy without involving any actual dairy. A very happy accident indeed.
AND THEN THERE WERE NO FREAKING ANCHOVIES
However, from the depths of last year's lockdown store cupboard emerged a forgotten can of tinned mackerel. It wouldn't have the salty punch of a can of anchovies, so a few small adjustments were needed - but dinner was saved, and the results were worth writing down.
Serves 2
Heat the oven to around 50 celsius. Pop in a couple of bowls/plates/something suitable for eating pasta off or out of.
Generously salt a large pan of water and set to boil.
Finely chop two fat cloves of garlic and one medium sized red chilli. Heat up a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil, and gently fry the garlic and chilli, plus half a teaspoon each of dried thyme, rosemary and oregano. After a couple of minutes, gently flake in a 115g can of mackerel in oil and allow to warm through. When the oil in the pan is gently sizzling again, add half a glass of dry white wine, stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper.
Add 250g fusilli to the boiling water. Cook for approx. 10 minutes. Meanwhile, leave the sauce to simmer until the wine, oil, tomato and fish have combined into something approximately the consistency of bolognese. When this consistency is achieved, turn off the direct heat and leave to sit until the pasta is done.
As the pasta is cooking, juice a lemon and chop a generous handful of fresh parsley.
When the pasta is done to your liking, drain it (reserving a cup of the salted, starchy water), remove the bowls/plates from the oven, and then use the pasta pan to stir through the fish and tomato sauce, the lemon, and the parsley through the fusilli. The sauce will be quite thick; add the reserved pasta water to taste, a little at a time, until the sauce is glossy and generously coating the pasta.
Ladle into the warmed bowls and serve - ideally with a final twist of black pepper and a glass of the wine you used in the sauce.
The real magic trick of this dish (which was a complete fluke) is the lemon juice, starchy water and fatty fish emulsifying to form a sauce that is super-creamy without involving any actual dairy. A very happy accident indeed.
