I suppose it should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed my posts on Ada Boni’s “The Talisman Italian Cook Book” that I love pasta. I also seem to gravitate towards the Sicilian end of the Italian cuisine spectrum. Hence, this pasta which combines the vibrant flavours of caponatina with spaghetti is really a no brainer for me. In fact, at one of my first jobs working in an Italian restaurant I used to specifically ask for something very much like this without realizing their was a historical basis. Probably, my favourite pasta recipe in the whole book and it will certainly be hard to beat going forward with the blog.
Ingredients
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Italian eggplant, diced
2 roasted green peppers
10 green olives
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
3 anchovy filets, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Directions
- Brown garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
- Add tomatoes and eggplant and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add peppers, olives, capers, basil, anchovies, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add water if too dry.
- Cook pasta in salted water. Drain.
- Take some of the sauce and cook pasta slightly to coat noodles. Top with the rest of the sauce and serve with fresh basil.
