Puttenesca

I went to the library yesterday and surrounded myself with hundreds of cookbooks.   The Boulder Main Library must have over 1000 cookbooks - its an amazing sight. 

I was looking for cookbooks around the theme of shared plates but not appetizers.  This was a difficult category to uncover...hmm.

Anyway,  I was very inspired to make the following quick but so delicious dinner of Puttenesca - a Portuguese Breakfast dish that easily converts to a dinner pasta.

Puttenesca is an easy tomato based sauce with eggs poached on top.  There is something decadent and special about a slightly runny egg mixing in the with bright yet briny sauce and dripping down on the silky noodles.    So pretty served with a side of zucchini noodles.

Puttenesca for Dinner 

The recipe:

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large strips of roasted red peppers, diced
1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1/4 cup of kalamata olives, quartered
Salt and Pepper
5 eggs
Parsley garnish

2 large zucchinis, spiraled and sauteed in olive oil for 5 minutes  and/or
2 cups of rice or regular spaghetti noodles

In a large saucepan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat until shimmery. Saute the onions until translucent,  about 6 minutes. Stir in the the red peppers, garlic, tomato sauce and olives.  Cook about 5 minutes over medium heat for the flavors to blend.   Add a couple pinches of salt and pepper, as desired to taste.

 Make 5 rounded indents in the sauce to poach the eggs.  Carefully crack the eggs into the indented circles.   Cover and allow the eggs to poach for approximately 3-4 minutes over medium low heat or until the whites are opaque.

Serve with zucchini noodles for a low-carb option.  Serve with rice noodles for your gluten-free crowd or spaghetti for those regular eaters.

Rating:

5 Hearts!  💗💗💗💗💗

This was an all round hit in my family.   Everyone cleaned their dishes and it made the most excellent leftover breakfast dish the next day.     I loved the briny olives against the richness of the slightly runny egg yolk. The zucchini noodles were a beautiful backdrop for the sauce.   An easy recipe for those nights you want dinner on the table in 20 minutes.