This is a vegetarian puttanesca recipe with nori added - an adaptation from the traditional Neapolitan recipe with anchovies and is in no way a compromise on the original dish. Try it on pasta and Sea Spaghetti!
Serves 6
Prep time 30 minutes, cooking time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 10g dried Nori fronds or flakes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red capsicium (optional roasted capsicum for richer flavour)
- 1 fresh hot chilli, diced
- 2 large tins of Italian plum tomatoes
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 small bottle of capers, drained & rinsed
- 12 imported black olives, pitted & cut in quarters
- 12 imported green olives, sliced
- Tabasco or hot pepper sauce to taste
Directions
- In a saucepan, heat olive oil and gently sauté the garlic with the Nori for 5 minutes on medium heat, until the oil is infused with the flavours.
- Add the onion & capsicum and cook for 5 more minutes while stirring. Add the tomatoes and their juice, smashing them coarsely.
- Sprinkle over the chilli, black pepper, oregano, parsley and capers; cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Add the chopped olives and cook 5 minutes longer for the flavours to integrate. Taste and add hot pepper sauce if desired.
- Boil 20g of Sea Spaghetti for 10 minutes until al dente. (The longer you boil the more flavour you lose.)
- Separately, cook 200g pasta in salted water brought to a ‘rolling boil’ and keep the heat high to bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible.
- Drain immediately into a large colander and shake well to remove excess water. Do not rinse unless the recipe says to do so because the starch that makes the pasta stick to itself also helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
- Traditionally, the drained pasta is immediately placed in the pan the sauce is in and the two are combined; this serves to keep the pasta warm.
- Serve immediately to warmed plates or cover and allow the pasta to absorb the sauce a little.
- When Nori (also known as Karengo) is exposed to moisture in cooking, its flavour becomes very similar to mild anchovy.
- Nori pairs really well with roasted nuts & seeds to make a wonderfully nutritious and savoury snack. Its lovely purple hues add visual interest to fruit salsas intended to garnish grilled fish!
- In Chinese medicine, this specie of seaweed has applications for edema, urinary infections and sore throat. Karengo is also wonderfully tonic and is excellent to alkalinize & re-mineralise the body. It is said that the polyphenols present in purple foods may enhance brain health & function.
