There’s not enough positive things I can say about Cucina + Amore’s Puttanesca. If you are an olive lover, this tomato sauce is simply the best, briniest, olivey-est of THEM ALL. You can easily finish cooking any par-cooked pasta in this salty sauce for a quick dinner, OR, get a little fancy and follow along for this super simple Surf (shrimp) and Turf (bacon) Saganaki.
SHOPPING LIST: 1 jar Cucina + Amore Puttanesca, 5 strips bacon, 1 lb. shrimp (peeled + deveined), 1 can artichokes, chopped garlic, crumbled feta cheese, Adobo seasoning, red pepper flake, dried parsley
Let’s start by saying that if you can’t find my preferred Puttanesca, any similar sauce will do. If you cannot find anything puttanesca-like, just add 1/2 cup of halved Kalamata olives when frying your bacon and artichokes and then use a marinara of your choice.
Give a quick, thick chop to your 5 strips of bacon and get that into a cold sauté pan (make sure said pan HAS A COVER). Turn the heat onto medium-high and let your bacon begin to sizzle away. In the meantime, toss your cleaned shrimp in Adobo seasoning and set aside. Strain your canned artichokes, slice them in half, and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. When your bacon begins to release its fat and become crispy, add 1 tB. of chopped garlic and your halved artichokes and allow the artichokes to fry in the bacon fat. (This is where you would add your own olives per above). When your artichokes are browned and crispy, add the entire jar of puttanesca (about 1.5 cups) and let it come to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to help deglaze the bottom of the pan and free all the bacon bits into your tomato sauce.
Add your shrimp and give a quick toss so they are coated in the tomato sauce. Sprinkle parsley flakes, red pepper flakes (optional) and 1 cup of crumbled feta on top and then COVER YOUR PAN so the shrimp can steam in the tomato sauce! It will take about 5-7 minutes over low heat for your shrimp to be firm and cooked through – and just like our original Halibut Saganaki recipe – one of the best parts of this style of cooking is you can serve the dish DIRECTLY in the pan in which it was cooked. We love that over here. We also love sneaking bacon into recipes.
This is the sort of dish you definitely want to serve with some sort of starch to soak up all the goodness. A simple pasta, or garlic bread will do, or you can make a quick Garlic Rice: sauté 1 tB. chopped garlic in 2 tB. olive oil, when the garlic browns add 1 cup of rice and 1 tsp. of salt, sauté for 1 minute, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 13 minutes.
The Kitchen Koach 