Recipe: Green Emporium Pasta with Puttanesca Sauce

GREEN EMPORIUM PASTA WITH PUTTANESCA SAUCE

This hearty - and heart-healthy - pasta comes together in a flash. Mangia!
Puttanesca may sound like an Italian specialty to slave over, but don't be intimidated - you can make this sauce in minutes. Michael Collins, chef and co-owner of the Green Emporium in Colrain, Massachusetts, designed this dish, which marries old-world flavor with modern-day convenience. Its healthy ingredients - lycopene-loaded tomatoes, heart-smart olive oil, exotic olives, and capers - are as easy to keep on hand as that emergency jar of sauce.

1 can (28 oz) peeled Italian plum tomatoes
3 chopped cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
6 pitted and halved kalamata olives
6 pitted and halved Spanish green olives
1 tbsp capers
1 lb linguine
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Grated Parmesan

Crush tomatoes with your hands. In a large nonstick pot, saut garlic in oil until golden brown, taking care not to burn. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes on a low flame. In a separate medium-sized pot, bring water to boil. Add olives and capers to tomatoes and cook 10 minutes more. Meanwhile, add linguine to the boiling water. When pasta is cooked through yet slightly firm, about 8 minutes, drain and divide among 4 bowls. Top with sauce; sprinkle with fresh basil and Parmesan to taste.

Makes 4 servings
SELF, October 2001