Puttanesca The Vegetarian Way

Raw Ingredients For Spaghetti Alla Vegetarian Green Puttanesca

Nothing is more filling and comforting to me than a big bowl of pasta.  I dream of variations of vegetables, herbs and spices to top the dozens of different pasta shapes available today in grocery stores.  There are few vegetarian pasta appetizers or entrees that I have not tried.  Puttanesca, a pasta sauce traditionally made with anchovies, has never tempted me.  Because the mere thought of
anchovies makes me squirm, it never occurred to me to even think about a vegetarian version of this sauce.  Melissa Clark’s article, “Puttanesca Sauce dressed for spring,” along with her recipe for “Pasta with Green Puttanesca,” both published in the Dining section of the New York Times on Wednesday, June 1st, changed my opinion.  This week, making a vegetarian version of a puttanesca sauce became my challenge.

The origin of the name of pasta alla puttanesca (roughly translated as “pasta in the way a prostitute would make it”) is unknown.  It may be named for its spicy flavor or because the ingredients rely on pantry items available in most traditional Italian kitchens.  I prefer the folklore, however, that it was sold cheaply to lure men into brothels or that it was a quickly prepared meal that prostitutes could make and eat between appointments.  While the origin of the name may be debated, there is no doubt that the bold flavor is salty (from the anchovies), spicy (from the chili peppers) and fragrant (from the garlic).

To make the sauce a vegetarian classic, my challenge was to replace the anchovies while retaining the same salty goodness and trademark briny flavor of the sea that defines puttanesca.  Anchovies, combined with other ingredients, add a powerful flavor. I tested soy sauce, olive brine, umeboshi paste (pickled ume “plums”) and blond miso to replace anchovies.  The ingredients added the salty taste I was seeking but without the additional texture provided by anchovies.  For flavor and texture, I experimented with brined mushrooms. The mushrooms had both the salty flavor and additional texture – but something was still missing.

I am not a fan of fish. I find neither the smell nor what I imagine to be the taste appealing. After some thought, however, I realized that it was the additional layer of flavor that the anchovies gave the sauce that was missing in my vegetarian version.  I decided to try Nori (thin, dried edible seaweed).  Bingo!  Not only did it add another texture to the puttanesca but it also added the flavor of the sea.  The combination of capers, olives and Nori achieved the salty, briny flavor the sauce needed to call itself puttanesca.

Melissa Clarke substituted spinach for tomatoes to make her green puttanesca sauce.  Nutritionally, a green puttanesca made with spinach differs from a traditional puttanesca made with tomatoes. Spinach is considered a “power food” or “super food.”  Nutritionist Caren explains that while tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, they do not contain the folate and iron of spinach.  Calorie for calorie spinach packs more of a nutritional punch than tomatoes, making a green puttanesca a meal packed with essential nutrients and dietary fiber. The replacement of anchovies with Nori changes the sodium levels of the sauce.  Nutritionist Caren warns that anchovies are VERY high in sodium.  Just one ounce of anchovies has over 1000 mg of sodium, which
accounts for 1/2 of the recommended daily intake.  Nori, on the other hand, is extremely low in sodium with just 5mg per serving. The substitutions of spinach for tomatoes and Nori for anchovies makes for an overall healthier dish.

Nutritionist Caren’s final thoughts on the recipe reminded me to consider my use of olive oil. Olive oil is an ingredient that, while healthy, is also calorie dense.  One Tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories.  Nutritionist Caren urges clients to consider the amount of olive oil used while cooking. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup (equivalent to 8 tablespoons) of olive oil totaling 960 calories. For a recipe yielding 4 servings, this equates to 240 calories per serving.  Nutritionist Caren recommended I try to lessen the amount of oil, suggesting that the change might only affect calories and not taste.  I cut the recommended olive oil in Clark’s recipe by half to test the difference.  Honestly, I enjoyed the sauce far more with less oil.

Doorman Chris likes spicy food but is not a fan of anchovies.  He became a quick enthusiast of this fish free vegetarian sauce whose taste doesn’t suffer from the exclusion of fish.  For myself, I am personally excited about the combination of complex flavors and textures in the puttanesca sauce and look forward to making it and eating it the next time I am looking for a filling and comforting pasta dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spaghetti alla Vegetarian Green Puttanesca

Adapted from Melissa Clark’s “Pasta With Green Puttanesca“

Spaghetti alla Vegetarian Green Puttanesca

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Kosher salt, to taste

1 pound spaghettini or spaghetti

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup drained capers

1 cup pitted and sliced green olives

10 fat green garlic cloves, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick (or use 8 regular garlic cloves)

1/3 cup chopped scallions including greens

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

12 cups baby spinach leaves (11 ounces)

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 Nori Sheets

1/2 cup torn basil leaves.

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is not quite al dente, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.

2. While the pasta is cooking, warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the  capers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the capers start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, olives, garlic, scallions and red pepper flakes; add the garlic and cook until garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Add a splash of pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Season with salt and pepper, if neccessary.

3.  Heat a medium dry skillet.  Carefully place a Nori sheets in the skillet, until it turns a bright green.  Remove sheet and repeat with the remaining three sheets.  Crumble green Nori sheets with your hands.  Toss the Nori pieces and basil leaves into the pasta.