Pasta alla Pizzaiola Recipe from Puglia

Step 1

If using salted capers rinse under running water. If using cherry tomatoes wash them and cut into halves. Peel the garlic.

Step 2

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt when it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.

Step 3

In a high-sided skillet or frying pan, sauté the garlic cloves, the anchovy fillets, the capers and the cherry tomatoes together with the olive oil. After a few minutes, once the anchovies have melted, add the tomato passata.

Step 4

Cook over a medium heat for about fifteen minutes. When half cooked, add salt to taste and sprinkle with the oregano, leave to simmer and flavor for 10 more minutes. Remove the garlic.

Step 5

In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into small pieces and then cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Step 6

Remove some of the sauce from the pan. When it’s cooked, drain the pasta and add to the skillet/frying pan with the sauce. Mix everything together well to distribute the sauce evenly. Plate the pasta after putting a nice spoonful of the saved sauce in the bottom of the bowl/plate.

Step 7

Put some mozzarella pieces onto the pasta before serving.

Step 8

Transfer the pasta mixed with the sauce to a buttered oven dish. Cover the top with mozzarella slices and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until the top starts to crisp and the mozzarella melts and browns slightly!