Everyone has a favored Italian dish that they can’t get enough of, and in the Pirro family, puttanesca sauce holds a special plate in our hearts. While many Italian food lovers around the globe have also fallen in love with puttanesca sauce, it’s fairly common for novices to ask what it is. Better yet, what is puttanesca sauce made of to create such a flavorful sauce? Luckily, the Pirro family is here to shed some light on this fan favorite. Puttanesca sauce is a sweetly simple sauce made from a delicious combination of tomatoes, black olives, capers, anchovies, onions, garlic, and Italian herbs. The recipe is easy to make, not requiring too much cooking time while still developing a spicy and fragrant taste.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the history of puttanesca sauce, some of the most common ways to serve puttanesca sauce, as well as how Pirro’s Puttanesca can take your next dinner to the next level.
Where does “Puttanesca” come from?
Before exploring why puttanesca sauce is so popular, let’s first address the elephant in the room. If you’ve taken any Italian classes in your life, you might be wondering why we’ve been talking about “prostitute pasta sauce” this entire time. Let’s make this clear: while the term “puttanesca” means “relating to a prostitute,” that doesn’t necessarily cover the origins of the sauce’s name. Some argue that it received the title because it was a popular sauce for courtesans who enjoyed the dish because it could be made quickly while on a break, or that it was so aromatic that it could attract suitors.
While this is certainly a romantic take on the classic dish, the name more likely stems from how Italians use the word “puttana,” which is used in the same way Americans say, “s–t.” Puttanesca sauce is a combination of a bunch of different puttana from the cupboard, similar to everything but the kitchen sink sauces here in the states. At its core, puttanesca is a delicious combination of different pungent ingredients from the cupboard that are thrown into a pan to whip up a tasty and mouth-watering sauce.
What Does Puttanesca Sauce Taste Like?
While many traditional Italian tomato sauces will be sweet and tomatoey with every bite, puttanesca sauce is made of many bolder and invigorating ingredients that come to the forefront instantly. Garlic, capers, olives, anchovies, and crushed red pepper are all very loud ingredients that come together to develop an appetizing sauce. Puttanesca sauce recipes will vary based on what ingredients are available on-hand, but traditionally, puttanesca sauce tastes salty from the olives and anchovies with a sweet kick from the tomatoes and oil. Puttanesca is a unique variation from traditional tomato sauces, but its flavor profile is hard to beat.
What is Puttanesca Sauce Used For?
The Pirro family is all about encouraging creativity in the kitchen. After all, the origins of puttanesca sauce come from dedicated Italian chefs that sought to use whatever was needed to create a tasty sauce. If you prefer a traditional approach for puttanesca sauce, it’s most commonly paired with spaghetti pasta, but can also taste amazing alongside pasta like penne, linguine, vermicelli, and bucatini. While puttanesca sauce is a match made in pasta heaven, it can be used in a variety of other ways, such as a filling for lasagnas or as a finishing sauce for proteins like chicken and fish.
How to Heat Up Puttanesca Sauce
Puttanesca is not a sauce that demands a huge amount of time to prepare, making it a very popular weeknight meal for those in a pinch. Puttanesca can be reheated fairly simply, but Pirro’s makes it extra easy. All Pirro’s Sauces are designed with simplicity in mind, with our puttanesca sauce being a ready-to-cook option. Simply heat up Pirro’s Puttanesca sauce in a pot on medium heat, stirring occasionally while it comes to a simmer. Once heated, pair the sauce with a pasta or dish of your choosing. In just a few minutes, you’ll be on your way to creating an unforgettable dish that will have your loved ones begging for seconds in no time.
Use Pirro’s Puttanesca Sauce For Your Next Dinner!
Puttanesca sauce is all about developing delicious flavor using fresh ingredients. Pirro’s Sauce believes in only using the freshest produce and organic ingredients to develop authentic Italian flavors. All Pirro’s sauce recipes have been passed down through three generations of the Pirro family. If practice makes perfect, you can trust the Pirro family has fine-tuned each sauce recipe to perfection. Our Puttanesca sauce jars feature a classic recipe with a unique blend of olives, black olives, and kalamata olives, forming a mouthwatering sauce that pairs perfectly with any pasta in your cupboard. Explore Pirro’s entire collection of Italian sauces to elevate the way you think of Italian cuisine today!
