Let me preface this recipe by saying that I was a bit nonplussed when L. requested pasta Puttanesca for dinner. I abhor olives in any form (I don't even like to handle them) but maternal love has no limits so here we are.
My sister mentioned that our friend Karen makes the best version of this dish that she has ever tasted, Karen referred me to the Silver Palate cookbook and I took it from there. This recipe may be slightly heavy on the anchovies for you; this was definitely catered to L.'s taste. Play with the proportions and adapt to your liking.
Since I wanted nothing to do with this dinner, the recipe below is for one teenage boy (so could probably run to 2 adults if served with an appetizer salad). L, pronounced it delicious.
1 portion dry pasta of your choice (portions are subjective so I don't give exact measurements)
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 anchovy fillets
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup pitted black olives, halved
1/4 cup capers
1/3 cup roughly chopped basil
1 cup crushed tomatoes
Aleppo pepper flakes or other spicy pepper flakes to taste
Cook the pasta one minute less than the directions on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
Heat the olive oil and the anchovy fillets in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly, until the anchovies have melted into the oil. Add the garlic and cook, until fragrant, a minute or so. Stir often so that the garlic doesn't brown.
Add the tomatoes, lower the heat, and cook until the mixture is starting to bubble around the edges, stirring from time to time so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the sauce bubbles, add the olives and capers and heat them through.
Add the basil and cook for an additional minute until it is just wilted. Then add 1/3 cup of the pasta water, the red pepper flakes, and allow the sauce to reduce until the pasta is ready.
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce in the skillet. Mix well with the sauce and serve at once.
Do not add salt to this dish.
Inspiration recipe, here.