Pasta alla Puttanesca with Molasses Drop Cookies

I have been meaning to try this recipe, not only for it's interesting ingredients, but because of the name which translates to Prostitutes Pasta.  My kids were horrified when I told them what it meant and that I was going to make something that was popular with prostitutes.  I'm quirky that way.  Supposedly this was a favorite recipe of the prostitutes because it was a sauce that could be made up quickly and had great flavor.  The ingredients vary from region to region.  What's held me back from trying it was because a lot of the recipes called for anchovies and capers, two ingredients I don't have a lot of experience with.  This one is from Lucinda Scala Quinn (again!) and calls for the capers (but no anchovies) and olives (black and green).  It's kind of spicy (but not too much) and has a very interesting and very good flavor.  My daughter and her friend actually really liked it.

I have learned the value of soaking and rinsing capers.  If you don't, it can be disastrous to your recipe.  For this recipe, I soaked them in cold water while I prepped the rest of the ingredients and then rinsed them.  As I got to the bottom of the plate the pasta was coated with more of the sauce and I could taste the capers a bit more.  If you don't like the taste of them that much, I would reduce them to 2 tablespoons instead of 3, but do not omit them.  You need them to balance the olives and red pepper flake flavors and add some saltiness.  Also, if your sensitive to the red pepper flakes, you can just use 1/4 teaspoon total instead of 1/2.

You may be wondering why the green olives are coarsely chopped and the black olives are thinly sliced.  This is strictly for giving some variety in color and shape in the sauce.  I think it gives it a nice look.  When I bought the green olives there were several choices.  I made the mistake of buying the ones that aren't pitted.  Pay attention to that because it's a pain slicing away the olive meat from the pit.  For the black olives, there was only the canned variety, no fancy types.  That's what I used and it was fine.

In Lucinda's recipe, she uses bucatini pasta.  This is a large-style spaghetti that is hollow in the center.  I liked the bucatini, but it was hard to twirl onto our forks.  You would get it nice and wound and then would unloop itself.  If you think this would be a problem, you can use a large-style or regular size spaghetti.

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Pasta alla Puttanesca

Ingredients:

·       1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

·       2 cloves garlic, minced

·       1/2 cup black olives, such as Gaeta or Nicoise, rinsed, pitted, and thinly sliced

·       1/2 cup green olives Italian-style, rinsed, pitted, and coarsely chopped

·       3 tbsp. capers, preferably salt-packed, thoroughly soaked and rinsed

·       1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, plus more for serving

·       28 oz. can best-quality tomatoes, half pureed, half roughly crushed

·       1 sprig fresh basil, plus more for garnish

·       1/2 tsp. dried oregano

·       1 pound large size or regular spaghetti

·       freshly grated Parmesan cheese

·       Molasses Drops Cookies (see recipe), for serving

Directions:

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

    Place olive oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the garlic begins to sizzle but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add the olives, capers, and 1/4 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes. Add the pureed and crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for15 minutes. Add the basil sprig, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and the oregano and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

    Meanwhile, generously salt the boiling water. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm. Set the timer for 2 minutes less than the package instructions specify and taste for doneness. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve with additional red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese, and freshly torn basil leaves.

Servings:  4-6

In the same episode, Lucinda made her version of Molasses Drop Cookies.  She had inherited the family recipe box and found several variations of the recipe.  What this told her was that it's great to have recipes passed down from generation to generation, but also that you've gotta make it your own.  For her variation, she rolled them in white sanding sugar which not only makes them pretty but also gives them a nice crunch.  She also added candied orange peel.  I couldn't find any candied orange peel and didn't have time to order some.  I did have some orange baking emulsion in the pantry which I'm sure all of you happen to have.  But if you don't and can't find the candied orange peel like me, maybe add some orange extract which you can normally find at the grocery store.  I really think they need the orange flavor because it balances out the brown sugar and molasses which can be a bit heavy when combined.  The orange gave it freshness and made it more kid friendly.  

A tool I highly recommend for this recipe, is a scoop.  She has you scooping out about a tablespoon of dough and then rolling it into a ball.  The problem I had with that is that this dough is pretty sticky.  So what I did was scoop out the dough with a small scoop and drop it directly into a dish of white sanding sugar.  I then moved the dish around to coat the dough with the sugar.  Another item I recommend is parchment paper.  You line your cookie sheet with the parchment paper and when they are done baking, just slide the parchment off the cookie sheet onto your cooling rack.  No more waiting for them to cool (and continue baking) and then lifting off the cookies one by one onto the rack.  You can eat them while they are still warm, but not all flavors will come out in the taste, especially the orange flavor.  They really are best if you allow them to cool completely.

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Molasses Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

·       1 3/4 cups flour

·       1/2 tsp. baking soda

·       1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

·       1/2 tsp. coarse salt

·       1/4 tsp. ground ginger

·       1/8 tsp. ground cloves

·       1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

·       2 oz. (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted

·       1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

·       1/4 cup whole milk

·       1 large egg, lightly beaten

·       1/4 cup finely chopped candied orange peel

·       sanding sugar, for rolling

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 375º. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Whisk in brown sugar. Stir in melted butter, molasses, milk, and egg. Fold in candied orange peel.

    Roll 1 tablespoon or 1/2 teaspoon dough into a ball. Roll in sanding sugar, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill in refrigerator for 5 minutes. Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool.

    Cook's Note:  Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Servings:  3 dozen large or 18 dozen small