Puttanesca

According to a very reputable source (wikipedia), puttanesca was actually invented by Italian prostitutes. They couldn't make it to the market every day and so they made this pasta out of things that would keep well in the pantry. I have no idea if this is actually true, but I kind of like the story, and I think my mom does too, she calls me a whore when I make it (in the most loving way of course). I know I say a lot of things are easy, but this one really is. The sauce only takes as long to cook as the pasta does, and there isn't much prep, especially if you get pitted kalamata olives (which I never seem to be able to find for some reason). This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, I got a subscription for my birthday and my parents are really reaping the benefits of that gift in the form of delicious dinners. You can find the recipe here.

Start by getting your ingredients ready for the sauce, basically slicing some garlic, chopping some olives, and rinsing some capers and put the pasta water on to boil.

Next, saute the garlic and a some red pepper flakes in a bit of olive oil (I use less red pepper flakes because I am not a big fan of too much heat).

After a few minutes add the capers and olives.

Then crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands, add all rest of the juices from the can and then the tuna, oil and all. Let simmer until the linguine is done cooking.

Once the pasta is done, save 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the rest and put the pasta back into the pot and dump the sauce in with it. Toss it together with a bit of the water.

Pile it up on a plate and devour while thanking the Italian whores for their culinary creativity.