Pasta Puttanesca

I love spicy food and this spin on basic pasta and tomato sauce packs as much flavor as it does heat. This variation was adapted from an awesome cookbook called Some Like It Hot: 200 Spicy Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World by Robin Robertson:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon (or more) chopped garlic

2 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes (with their juice)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or twice as much fresh)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or twice as much fresh)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

liquid smoke, to taste

1 14.5 oz. can black olives, drained and sliced

3 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup white wine

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 package of pasta

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute or so. Add tomatoes (with their juice), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and liquid smoke. Mix well and simmer 20 minutes to reduce. Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring to boil water and add a dash of salt. Cook pasta; drain. To the tomato mixture, add olives, capers and wine. Simmer another 10 minutes, then remove from heat, add parsley and serve with cooked pasta.

Piccata Sauce for Pasta

Tonight I tried this recipe from Vegetarian Times Fast and Easy cookbook, which I checked out of Multnomah County Library. It was originally supposed to be served with tempeh triangles, and the photo looked really good. Since we were making a simple summer vegetable pasta for dinner, I thought this sauce might be a nice break from our traditional spicy puttanesca. As it was, it turned out OK -- bright and tangy, good for summer -- but with a consistency a tiny bit thin for pasta. Next time: cook a little longer or bump up the cornstarch a tad. Here's how tonight's version was prepared (served with penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and garden vegetables):

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups white wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon of capers, rinsed and drained
freshly ground salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Sautee garlic lightly. Add wine, lemon juice, capers, salt and black pepper. Reduce slightly by simmering about 10 minutes. Bring up the heat a little and add the cornstarch mixture, whisking to blend. Cook until sauce is thickened to desired consistency; remove from heat.