Monday, May 9, 2011

Cod Puttanesca served over Garlic Bread ~ A Risque Weeknight Dinner

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Has everyone seen the Food Dictionary on epicurious.com?

Well let me tell you...PUTTANESCA just got a lot more interesting!!!

puttanesca sauce; alla puttanesca  [poot-tah-NEHS-kah]
Generally served with pasta, this sauce is a spicy mélange of tomatoes, onions, capers, black olives, anchovies, oregano and garlic, all cooked together in olive oil. A dish on a menu described as alla puttanesca signals that it's served with this sauce. The name puttanesca is a derivation of puttana , which in Italian means "whore." According to one story, the name purportedly comes from the fact that the intense fragrance of this sauce was like a siren's call to the men who visited such "ladies of pleasure." © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

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I've made puttanesca a thousand times with no idea I was being,  "SO RISQUE!?!?

So WHY NOT turn an otherwise ho hum weeknight meal into one full of,  "tantalizing textures..?"

Too far?  I'm going with it!  ;)

On this particular evening I followed Halibut Puttanesca by Robin Miller on foodnetwork.com

My Simple Notes:

~ I used Alaskan Cod which is far less expensive than Halibut and perfect for the dish (try to find thick cod)

~ I cooked the cod (coated w/olive oil, pepper and lemon slices in a 375 degree oven for approximately 9 minutes. I did NOT salt my cod as I knew the sauce would be salty enough.)

~ I used two cups San Marzano diced tomatoes and a mix of black and green olives

~ I sauteed the garlic up in olive oil first - then added the San Marzano sauce

~ I served the Cod Puttanesca over warm, crusty garlic bread

So Simple, So Flavorful and Super Delicious!

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24 comments:

Bo said...

Puttanesca is one of my favorite sauces and the story makes it all the better.

Nuts about food said...

I love puttanesca and this recipe is a perfect way to use it. It looks fabulous. My dad is famous for his puttanesca (I posted about it at Christmas) and his recipe was even used by a well-known chef in a cook book (although she made a lot of changes - she rightly toned it down a bit - and he was not happy with the final result hehe). The story I heard is that whores used to make this for their clients because those ingredients were cheap and always easily available in Southern Italy, even to the poorest.
By the way, I turned my attention elsewhere for a couple of days, and you have been posting one more delicious than the next. How do you do it???

Nuts about food said...

I love puttanesca and this recipe is a perfect way to use it. It looks fabulous. My dad is famous for his puttanesca (I posted about it at Christmas) and his recipe was even used by a well-known chef in a cook book (although she made a lot of changes - she rightly toned it down a bit - and he was not happy with the final result hehe). The story I heard is that whores used to make this for their clients because those ingredients were cheap and always easily available in Southern Italy, even to the poorest.
By the way, I turned my attention elsewhere for a couple of days, and you have been posting one more delicious than the next. How do you do it???

Nuts about food said...

I love puttanesca and this recipe is a perfect way to use it. It looks fabulous. My dad is famous for his puttanesca (I posted about it at Christmas) and his recipe was even used by a well-known chef in a cook book (although she made a lot of changes - she rightly toned it down a bit - and he was not happy with the final result hehe). The story I heard is that whores used to make this for their clients because those ingredients were cheap and always easily available in Southern Italy, even to the poorest.
By the way, I turned my attention elsewhere for a couple of days, and you have been posting one more delicious than the next. How do you do it???

Nuts about food said...

Ooops, sorry...I don't why this came out three times.

Clint said...

This looks great. Thanks for the background info, too.

Anonymous said...

nuts about food is really NUTS ABOUT FOOD! Heeeheeee i am excited that I finally know what to do with cod. It scares me because it's so cheap (it's a little like the whore of the seafood counter!). I always overpay for halibut or sea bass because I know I can't ruin it and I fall into the "you get what you pay for" trap of the consumer world. So my appologies to my overpriced fishies, I am slumming it this week and taking a tawdry piece of cod home for dinner.

Unknown said...

I love cod! Especially if it's THICK! It's a great white fish that to me is a cross between a halibut and a flounder. Perfect for fish tacos and beer battered fish too!!!

The Food Hound said...

Puttanesca is one of my favorite sauces, though I rarely make it- not sure why, kind of like I'm not sure why I keep letting the Doberhound crowd me to a tiny corner of the bed while she sprawls out everywhere... :)

Anonymous said...

Great idea! I have served mine over Tilapia before and substituted it for tomato sauce on pizza.

Unknown said...

I adore puttanesca!! Some how, knowing the meaning behind it, makes that feel so very very wrong...but I still love it!!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Count me in! This is one of my favorite sauces and the slight heat of it against the bland taste of cod is a thing of beauty. I really have to try this. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Karen said...

Ha! I love it! I want to serve this at my next dinner party just so I can tell everyone about the prostitute angle! A very fun food fact. Plus, it looks insanely good. I've never draped fish over garlic bread, and now I'm wondering why the heck not???

Heather said...

Amazing!! Your family eats so well!

Lea Ann said...

I have never ever made puttenesca sauce!?!?!?! What's up with that? It sounds WONderful. Thanks for the recipe...and as always, great photos.

Simply Life said...

OH MY GOSH! This looks INCREDIBLE! I would definitely order this at a restaurant!

Chaya said...

I would like to try this sauce. You make it look so good and everyone is raving about it.

Magic of Spice said...

Puttanesca is such a beautiful sauce and does pair so wonderfully with fish. Gorgeous dish and fun read, you crack me up :)

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