Asia- 06:58 am PDT - Apr 24, 2001 -#6941
Oh, please, God, don't let me be talking out my ass *again*

Giant X-post, proving that great minds think alike.

My version of Harlot Sauce isn't cooked at all, though some are.

Pasta Puttanesca

Roughly chop some tomatoes (like one giant or two average-sized ones, or a basket of cherry tomatoes), a handful of flat-leaf parseley, some Kalamata olives and a clove or three of garlic. Mince a couple of anchovy fillets fine, throw it all together with a spoonful of capers, give it a hearty pinch or several good grinds of black pepper, soak it down quite thoroughly with good olive oil. Taste for seasoning, and adjust the parseley, garlic, anchovies, capers and/or pepper if needed. On its own, it should taste pretty strong. Boil up a batch of pasta (short, chunky shapes like rotelli, farfalle, shells and wheels work best to trap the chunky sauce), then toss with the sauce while hot. I like Parmesan on top. This is good even if Kalamata olives all by themselves are a bit much for your tastes. You have to like garlic. If you hate capers, leave them out. Yummmmmm.

Something I've never had but that looks really good is Bagna Calda--basically a paste of ancovies and some other things mixed into olive oil and heated, then used as a dip for fresh veggies and other dippables. Sorry I can't offer a recipe for that one.