Vegetarian spaghetti alla puttanesca

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 300g spaghetti
• 1 can of tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp capers
• 40 g black olives, pitted
• herbs, Italian
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 small onion(s)
• 1 dash of olive oil
• possibly basil leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Cook spaghetti al dente according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and crush the garlic clove or cut it into thin strips, then sauté both in a pan with a dash of olive oil. Then add the chopped tomatoes along with the olives (chopped if desired) and the capers. Cover everything with a thin layer of Italian herbs, season with pepper, stir, and bring to a boil. Drain the spaghetti, divide it between two plates, pour the sauce over it, and if you’re feeling extravagant, add a few basil leaves on top. If you’re using capers in salt, it’s best to rinse off the salt first and add more salt later. Capers in liquid are fine, of course, but in my opinion, they don’t taste nearly as good as those preserved in salt. For those who don’t like cooking (like me), I also recommend wild garlic paste as an alternative to garlic and onions. It tastes almost the same, except you don’t have to do all the work of chopping and frying… just add a teaspoon of paste to the sauce, and you’re done. Recipes for wild garlic paste can be found here at Chefkoch, just search for them.