Gordon Ramsay's pasta puttanesca recipe is mouth-watering and takes just 30 minutes

Puttanesca pasta has become a southern Italian staple made all over the world, and Gordon Ramsay - who also explained the secrets to his delicious bolognese - has a quick and easy recipe that can be made in under 30 minutes in just five steps.

However, there is an infinite amount of ways to prepare pasta. If you aren't quite ready to leave behind pumpkin season, you can try a pumpkin alla vodka recipe. Even if you don't like the taste of pumpkin, a chef whipped up the perfect perfect pumpkin pasta recipe for pumpkin-haters. Or, altenatively, you can consider an autumnal mushroom pasta dubbed as a quintessential fall meal.

Gordon Ramsay's pasta puttanesca recipe

Ingredients 

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 200g chopped tomatoes
• 6 black olives, pitted and halved
• 1 tsp capers, drained and rinsed to remove excess brine
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 pinch of chilli flakes
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 anchovy fillet (optional)
• Parmesan (or vegetarian hard cheese)
• A few sprigs of parsley, leaves chopped
• Box of pasta of choice, linguine or rigatoni is most popular

READ MORE: Gordon Ramsay makes 'the most delicious Bolognese sauce'

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan then add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until soft.

2. Add in the tomatoes, olives, anchovy (if using), capers, oregano and chilli flakes. Stir well and bring to a simmer. 

3. When tomatoes are in season, swap the tinned tomatoes for 200g fresh vine tomatoes – roughly dice them then add to the sauce as above. Chuck in the green vine as well for added flavor, just scoop out before serving. Tomatoes are in season from May through October.

4. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced. Season to taste with salt.

5. While the sauce simmers, bring a bowl of pasta with a pinch of salt to a boil. Add your pasta of choice to cook until al dente.

6. Drain your al dente pasta and pour it into the saucepan and then mix it together. Top it with grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley.

What does the name 'puttanesca' mean?

The historical origins of Italy’s puttanesca pasta are hard to pinpoint, however, the easy-to-make recipe is pretty clear-cut and hits the spot.

The only thing food historians know for sure is that the pasta sauce recipe was born in Italy’s third-largest city Naples, off the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the mid-20th century. Naples is also considered the birthplace of pizza.

Food historians have a few theories about how the creation was made from the context of the country’s history, as well as different interpretations of the rough translation of “puttanesca.”

While some historians have a sordid interpretation that the word “puttanesca” derives from the word “puttana,” which means “prostitute,” with similar Latin languages like Spanish’s word “puta” meaning “b***h,” whereas other historians posit that it derives from the Latin word “putida” meaning “stinky” since the sauce has a powerful aroma, especially when made with anchovies.