How I Learned To Like The 1 Pasta I Hate (Spaghetti alla Puttanesca) 

I work in an Italian specialty food store in BC Canada, and I'd highly recommend trying Cerignola olives if you can find them at a local shop. Castelvetrano are great, but Cerignola have this rich, meaty butteriness that is like heaven. I've converted many olive haters by trying these guys out. Great looking Puttanesca, I'll give it a shot for dinner this week! Ciao!

This has been one of my top favorite pasta dishes for years now I was wondering why you hadn’t made a video on it but now I know why haha

I've been cooking--well--longer than you've been alive, and I ALWAYS learn something from your videos. I admire the thoughtful care you lavish on every ingredient and your technical expertise immensely. This genius work-around is a classic example of why I subscribed. And God love you for admitting to not liking something. We all have our pet hates, and I commend you for muscling yours into submission.

This looks great! And props to you for taking flavors you don't gravitate towards and tailoring it to your taste!

My dad was a chef. He would make dishes he didn't care for, with ingredients he didn't like, because it's part of the job. He developed the ability to taste them impartially, tasting for flavors he expected to find in the correctly assembled dish, but not tasting to improve them to his liking. So he could taste and think "this needs more olives" or "this needs more anchovies" while not enjoying the flavor they impart on a personal level.

puttanesca is my absolute favorite pasta. Everything about it so good. Thanks for making it!

Woman: "I love pasta puttanesca!" Stephen: "We're done here." Dude . . . harsh.

I'm an olive hater as well. I tried making this using the traditional ingredients. The first couple bites, I thought, okay I can do this.. but after a while i found myself picking out the olives and sending them my wife's way, who loves them. Thanks for this, I will give it a try.

Castelvetrano olives are a game-changer in just about any dish that calls for olives; this is no exception. I really like the addition of the lemon and toasted breadcrumbs here, and it's good to see you cover the dish that first got me to eat tomato sauce on pasta.

"#1 I don't consider myself a chef." Correct! But honestly, you're such a BAMF in the kitchen, I'd say you might be an honorary one. Love your content, Steve.

You got the best cooking channel on RU-vid, IMO. Thanks for another recipe, brotha! 🤙

I found those same olives a few years ago and have been hooked ever since, a bit pricy but worth it. Oddly enough, Puttanesca is on my dinner list for tomorrow and I'm going to play around with this style. Thanks for sharing this one, Steve!

I made my first Puttanesca almost 40 years ago and it's still the best thing I ever cooked. It made me an anchovy fan and now I put those suckers in everything! Try using the whole tin, plus the oil.Dump that on your cutting board and use the mass as a guide for how much garlic, olives, peppers and capers to use. I don't think even I would like an unaccompanied anchovy straight from the tin. I also like a lot of oregano and Italian Parsley in there. Calamata and Castlevetrano are my favorite olives but I think they lose a lot of flavor when heated. Any cheap black olive works for me. One 28oz tin of San Marzano tomatoes makes three servings for me. That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it. . .

I love how you minced the olives and capers into each other, will definitely try that. Also I like to mash the anchovies into the olive oil over low flame, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. made a cheapo version recently with just palm oil, tomato paste, ground pepper, crispy garlic and cheddar cheese. still impressed my guests.

i'd recommend a jar of anchovies instead of a tin. it's resealable, so you can take out and use what you want as you need it. i don't understand people who can eat anchovies whole, but crushed up into some sauces (also meatballs, interestingly enough) gives a ton of savory umami flavor.

Appreciate the honesty in this video! Shows the real side of cooking, just because you like to cook doesn't mean you should like every ingredient!

I grow Roma tomatoes every year for two specific pasta dishes that my wife makes. One is a simple mix of roasted Roma tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and fresh basil served with fusilli, it's so incredibly good. The other dish is puttanesca and I absolutely love it, but I don't serve it with spaghetti. I prefer a broader pasta, something more robust to hold this sauce because there's not much gravy in it. These are two dishes I crave year round.

It’s the first sauce I learned to make from scratch. I love it.

also one of my favorites. i enjoy the intense flavors, however i can understand why a lot of people wouldn't like it. over the years i've also come to love good canned sardines and herring. kinda weird but my taste buds have definitely changed over the past 40 years :) as a "chef"

Love olives, love anchovies, LOVE puttanesca! This is a great recipe - dial up those olives and anchovies as you say and it's an absolute winner! PS: I get the same comments from people about being a passionate home cook/food obsessive but not liking blue/stinky cheese!

without a doubt the best cooking channel on youtube.

Great video as always don’t undersell yourself your cooking skills and passion are in line with professional chefs

dang, I LOVE this pasta and absolutely love olives, so much so I could eat an entire jar of them, anchovies are great if it's an underlying flavor for me, rather than something that's super out there

When I was a child I hated olives. They told me if I eat enough of them, I'll learn to love them. So, every once in a while I ate some olives, hated them. When I was 40 years old I realized those people were full of it --- and I haven't been near an olive since. I don't miss them, and they don't miss me. As for anchovies --- I can't even eat a pizza cooked in the same oven with anchovies. So, this dish ain't for me no matter how mild you want to make it! By the way, you used more salt in this one dish than I use in my kitchen in a month!! Thanks.

Excelente. I have done this several times but never with breadcrumbs and squeeze of 🍋, will try now, great Vlog, thank you!

Well done, I love this dish and can’t get enough of the olives and anchovies. Props for pushing yourself!

Respect for trying things you don't like again and again. I came around on capers this way.

This is my favorite way to have spaghetti. Glad you gave it a try despite not loving the components. In my mind, it blends together into something beautiful.

Thanks for the recommendation for the olives! Glad I'm not the only Italian who hates olives ☺️

Bruh I remember how watching Food Wars and learning a bit more about umami sparked my deep-rooted love for ingredients like tomatoes and sardines. This pasta dish had me rolling my eyes back in ecstasy the first time I (made and) ate it.

Puttanesca is one of my fav pasta dishes. It’s punchy, salty, deep, rich and spicy. In my puttanesca I cook down the sauce for ~30 mins too to really push up the flavour. I honestly believe the classic, regular store bought black olives are the best for this too, I’ve tried a range but other olives don’t have the same texture and the flavours don’t always mix as well, sometimes too strong or weak too. I too prefer basil though, good call on that one.

oooo this makes me excited, I absolutely adore olives, anchovies, and capers.

Your show is amazing. Congratulations

Nice explanation of the dish, recipe, and presentation. When I was about nine, I didn't like raw tomatoes. One day, my friend's father picked some from his garden, sprinkled on a touch of salt, and I instantly changed my mind. If you say you don't like anchovies and olives, you'll lose your living privileges here on the Mediterranean coast. Just tell yourself that they are wonderful. P.S. Spain has the best olives.

this beat got me in the best mood its like a Japanese coffee shop kinda chill

Love, love, love olives, capers and anchovies!

This looks absolutely divine. I like the presentation on the plate.

Easily one of my favorite dishes! Gonna make myself some now

Like 10 years ago I hated olives, just like you. Today I am in love with them. As someone I know put it: "Olives are so disgusting, they actually taste good again." Definitely an aquired taste. To everyone that doesn't like them, just try them every once in a while. There might come the day you taste one and think: "Damn this is actually really good." This is true for every food imho (I still absolutely hate the taste of goat milk but I'll give it a shot everytime I have the opportunity).

I'm glad you found a way to enjoy it! I friggin love it the traditional way, and I add more anchovies and a few different kinds of olives.

Consider using oil-cured olives instead of brine-cured, plus salt-cured anchovies and salt-cured capers. Soak the capers, and absolutely soak the anchovies. Good choice on the Muti tomatoes. As for the Kalamatas, they only work in Greek salad.

OMG I'm excited to see if my husband will eat this because he DESPISES olives! Thank you! It looks amazing!

One version of the story is that our beloved ladies were only allowed to go to the market once a week, and this became a staple pasta in the brothels because of all the preserved ingredients as well as the salinity, spice and aromatic attributes of the dish 🥂

It must be said that we Italians have a great fantasy also with regard to the names we put on pasta recipes. 😉

Have you tried dried black olives? So much better than the brined. Also works great in puttanesca.

Hey All, this is a great recipe and I look soo forward to trying it. I also would like to add good quality canned tuna to this as well. I am looking for ideas and recommendations on how to incorporate tuna to the recipe. Simply add tuna at the end to warm it? Maybe a quick panfry? Would love to know as it adds some healthy protein to the sauce. Thanks for all the wonderful thought you have put into the recipe!!

No wonder! Your my favorite RU-vid channel but I was looking for your ANCHOVY RECIPES and was perplexed trying to find them 🥺

Gotta respect how he gets right to the recipe. Take note other RU-vid chefs!

super cool that you took on a recipe you don't like the ingredients of! I like this a lot.

Great presentation - sardonic humor really makes it watchable. Great recipe!

Looking fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

I make it less pungent, only 2 cloves of garlic, 1 anchovy fillet, more tomatoes, capers, and black calamata olives (olives added at the end, right before moving the pasta into the sauce so it won't be bitter). I like your idea of garnishing with breadcrumbs (but no basil no cheese as the dish already has enough overpowering flavors). Well done.

That looks great. I love bread crumbs in my pasta ! You are the first person I have seen who uses them. I need to try this, I love olives. Thanks.

Love to see this! I am personally a huge fan of both olives and anchovies, but my mother despises both! Though your ratios may not be perfect for me, it's nice to have some tips for how to dial down this and other dishes to convince her to eat them.

“That was the end of the date” Damn! 😂😂😂 I just imagine you throwing your napkin on the table and saying “Nope! It’s been real!” and walking out 🤣

Looks delicious 😋 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a great day everyone 🌻

I appreciate your commitment, a dish you clearly hate, but still showing us the technique and ways to make this dish palatable. I love all those things you hate, so I’d probs turn it up a little bit 👍🏻

this looks freaking amazing, great variation of this pasta. one of my faves!! i can't wait to try it out this way

Thanks will try. Sounds refined

I bought that pasta again and wanted to say thank you for telling me about it, really like it!

Stephen: "I don't consider myself a chef" Me: "That is the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say!"

might just try it this way, looks so good! Also the bread crumb addition

This is the Italian dish I struggled with most too. Never saw the appeal, but I’ll give it a shot now.

Look at our boy trying new things.. They grow up so fast don't they 😍😜

I feel seen! I love making pasta from scratch and cooking, but I felt like a child for not liking olives and anchovies.

I'm ABSOLUTELY on the same train of thought with this dish,for the same reason.I don't HATE olives but I don't like them in dishes.As for anchovies, Ive always hated them and think that people who have them on pizza should be just shot ( jk) .I'll try youre version ... someday,if I have to impress a guy I'm dating ( sorry ladies ) . For the record Steve, you are more chef than 90% of working chefs out here. You bring accurate expertise and culinary skills to home cooks and should be applauded...BIG TIME. You're very humble,though and that's cool. Ciao

So you're probably not going to like a vodka martini with anchovy-stuffed olives, or a Napoletana pizza with black olives, red onion, and anchovies with sauce but no cheese. Alas! These are two treasures.

I’ve watched you for years and I’m today years old learning you don’t like olives lol That’s why cooking is great because you just customize things the way you like them!

“Needless to say that was the end of that date” fucking hilarious”

Anchovies and olives are life! I'm shocked. Thank you for this video.

The 1st time I ate Pasta Puttanesca , it turned out to be a good meal.

Looks good, cooking is what broke me on a lot of my earlier pickiness. You learn how things like mushrooms can elevate a dish or change it slightly without being just what it is plain, then learn to appreciate it. Once a hater I know can pop mushrooms like anything else I enjoy. Thanks for the recipes!

Proud of you for at least giving items you don't like a shot every so often because our taste buds can change. I used to not like olives or pickles after a childhood bout of stomach illness but now I love them. That dish looked really good! The Calabrian chilis probably help cut that briny, salty flavor. Also I like fried garlic chips with my chili sauce on Puttanesca.

I love olives. Green, black, purple kalamata, stuffed with garlic canned or jar! All olives!

Great recipies 👍 it's a pleasure to watch you work and a great inpiration for my home cooking, which I love to do. Keep'em coming :) Cheers my friend.

Anchovies and oil-cured olives were our candy when we were kids. My grandma would hand them out like Sicilian Werthers. My younger brothers didn't like the anchovies, so I always got theirs.

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes

Great recipe and a great video as always. I have only one suggestion: replace the lemon juice with red wine.

the reason why you did this puttanesca is hilarious... I would have really liked to have seen how the dialogue went down on this date! Thank you as always for all the great content you create!

Story I’ve heard several times is that it was a dish made by the prostitutes, rather than being named after any manky body aromas. The other thing is that it’s puttanesca rather than puntanesca.

So many pasta dishes that are basically just carbs with tomato sauce are terrible but this is my all time favourite pasta

I used to not cook this dish because I don’t like olives. I leave them out when cooking for myself but will put them in when cooking for others.

There is not a cooking video you have made that I have not liked. I had anchovies once in a dish & didn't know. Lol It tasted a little different but was good! Thank you for the recipe.

I love olives and anchovies- puttanesca is incredible

Yum! Yum! I find you and your food refreshing. Thank you!🎶🎶🎶🎶

I got my next pasta dish right here! Thank you very much for the inspiration

I've never had that, but it looks like you did a great job with it. And with that, nicely done!

great video! love your work

Man this one looks fire!!!! Your sauce looks amazing!

That looks fantastic!

Well done. I do not know many people that like eating anchovies straight from the tin unless you are masochist, they are way too salty. However molten anchovies in a pasta sauce make that pasta sauce come to life without any fishy taste. You can also use colatura di alici, which is a liquid anchovy extract (Garum).

We used to serve this with halibut but for the sauce instead of lemon we use a LOT of reduced white wine. It really sweetened up and balanced the pasta nicely. Great with fennel btw.

One of my favorite snacks is green olives mixed with cottage cheese, topped with fresh black pepper.

Thanks, I will remember that garlic peeling trick forever...

I’ve been waiting for this recipe!

puttanesca is one of the staples at my house. my wife and mother in law lived in italy for a long time and she taught me how to make it. I love olive and anchovies so my experiances are different...

I think anyone who "hates" olives should try a few kinds. I love olives but there are absolutely some kinds that I can't stand even putting in my mouth.

I ate this about four times a week during lockdown ( I managed to have a huge store of these ingredients before they ran out at the very beginning)! 😊

From the creator of "RiGotta", he brings us "PuNttanesca". Never a dull day with these pronunciations. 😆

Subscribed! I am happy to have come across your channel. Videos look great. My problem with Puttanesca is that I'm allergic to fish. Funny thing is my Mom is from a region in Greece that was under Italian rule for a few decades until after WW2, so a lot of influences were left behind by Italians, to the point where there is a Greco-Italiano fusion to some of the dishes. Poutana is also a word we have in Greek, but it's used pejoratively for just about any woman who is promiscuous and not just prostitutes. The old ladies on my Mom's island (Rhodes) were for some convinced that the dish was invented on their island as it was cheating housewives who would make this as they never had any time cook or grocery shop due to their double life, hence the name Puttanesca. It's funny how there's so many versions to the story behind the name, ranging from what they served at brothels, to cheating housewives, to smelling as bad as a prostitute at the end of the day lol Anyway I wanted to share something with you regarding Kalamata olives. Traditionally they were never stored in brine after undergoing the fermentation process they would actually cover them completely in olive oil and store them that way. This would tone down the brininess. My uncle grows olives and he still does it this way too. How would you make this without anchovies or if it was even possible? Asking cause I've always wanted to try this as authentic as possible without just removing the anchovies.