Quick Pasta Puttanesca (Tomato Sauce with Olives & Capers)

Last night's tomato pasta sauce just kind of evolved.  It seemed a bit dull to just to serve up pasta with a basic tomato sauce. A pasta sauce with olives and capers rang a bell, together with the name 'puttanesca'.  Polite Elizabeth David (it literally translates as 'like a prostitute') did not mention it in Italian Food, but Delia did, as did Jamie Oliver.  As I was already half way through cooking I inadvertently made a vegan version by omitting the anchovies.  The caper hater in the family loved the sauce, announcing it better than the usual tomato sauce.

Serves 4

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tin of anchovies (optional) or 1 tbsp olive oil
1 tin chopped tomatoes
10 chopped black olives
2-3 tsp capers

Fry the anchovies in the oil they come in until they start to break down.  Add the onions and fry gently until translucent, or they start to brown.  Stir in the garlic to start to warm it then add the rest of the ingredients plus a can of recently boiled water.

Leave to simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes, removing the lid at the end of cooking to reduce the sauce if preferred.

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