Twisted Puttanesca

Torcetti pasta is already a little twisted spiral of a pasta, but takes on a whole other dimension when added to this twist on puttanesca sauce.

Inspired by my last jar of 2010 CSA tomatoes and 1/2 a package of local (from Poughkeepsie, NY) "My Brother Bobby's Salsa" that I got at Whole Foods, I whipped up a twisted version of hooker pasta. This salty sensation is the perfect antidote to a well earned mild hangover.

Twisted Puttanesca

1/2 lb tubular or well structured pasta such as torcetti or penne or heck, spaghetti

2-4 cloves garlic

1 TBS olive oil

1 big jar whole tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh salsa

1/2 cup cooked black beans

2 TBS capers

10 pitted black olives (I used kalamata) - that cherry pitter comes in handy...

1/4 cup red wine

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Sautee garlic in oil in a sauce pan. Add tomatoes and break them up a bit, add salsa, beans, capers, olives, and wine. Simmer until heated through and pasta is done. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.

I don't add any additional salt or sugar to the sauce because the tomatoes were already salted, I salted the pasta cooking water, and the olives and capers are salty enough. The beans weren't technically salted, but I cook them with kombu so they are tasty enough on their own as well.