Good morning…today’s puttanesca pasta features three controversial ingredients: olives, capers, and anchovies.

• If you’re hesitant, we’ve included pointers on warming up to these ingredients, but this pasta might change your mind: it balances their strong flavors against each other in a really satisfying way.

RECIPE BREAKDOWN 🤯

Puttanesca pasta breakdown

In a recent newsletter, we covered why anchovies are a must-have pantry staple. This is the recipe to use them in. Like most cases cooking with them, they’ll melt right into the sauce as a savory element, so don’t fret.

• Don’t like olives or capers? They play more of a supporting role here for acidity and salt. Give them a try, or just use one or the other with extra tomatoes.

• Olives vary in potency by type. Try a few different high-quality varieties like a milder Castlevetrano — don’t use the sad canned black olives here.

A beginner-friendly pantry hero

Everybody talks about cacio e pepe, carbonara, and bolognese. Those dishes rely on aged cheeses or meat for satisfying umami flavors. And, those dishes are finicky unless you leverage modern additions.

Puttanesca is more forgiving to nail. There’s no cheese or fat emulsion to worry about; the ingredients easily meld into a sauce.

Plus, it’s just as satisfying and uses cheaper, more shelf-stable ingredients. It also happens to be dairy-free and pescatarian.

Flavor synergy

Puttanesca is a case study in balancing salty/umami flavors with acidity. The anchovy and garlic base create loads of umami, and then the capers and olives bring a salty/acidic briney quality. The tomato brings the sauce together with extra brightness and a touch of sweetness.

• Here’s a challenge when making this dish: Can you make it balanced without using any salt? Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, and add more anchovies/capers/olives to dial in the seasoning.

It’s wild how addictive this punchy pasta can be. The umami & acidity trigger salivation and keep you coming back for more.

CLASSIC RECIPE TECHNIQUES 🍳

Risotto principles

Everyone should understand how to make risotto — it’s a great weeknight meal to have in your arsenal.

We’ll summarize a few concepts from the video that allow you to make risotto in any style/texture:

1) Know the basic risotto process

Pretty much every risotto recipe follows these steps:

1. Sauté the aromatic base

2. Coat the rice with fat and lightly toast

3. Cook the rice to the desired doneness

4. Adjust creaminess and garnish

Steps 3 and 4 are where things can go wrong, so here’s what you should know:

2) Nail the rice texture

Arborio rice is widely available in U.S. supermarkets but Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice are equally respected risotto options. Check their packaging for suggested rations, but risotto generally uses 1 part rice to ~3 parts water, but it depends on many factors.

• The beauty of risotto is that you can just keep adding cooking liquid until the grains cook through to your desired bite.

Traditionalists will argue for firm, al dente cooked rice texture. But you can keep adding liquid and cooking the rice as you wish. Here are general timelines:

• Firm: ~15 min

• Tender: 15-20 min

• Soft: 20-25 min

3) Dial in the final risotto consistency

When the rice has reached your desired toothsomeness, decide the final texture of the risotto by adding a bit more liquid to the pan to loosen it up, or evaporating some liquid to tighten it up. Risotto consistencies vary regionally in Italy:

• Loose & pourable = Venetian style (more common).

• Compact & sticky = Piedmont/Milanese/Bolognese style.

Finally, adding extra ingredients like grated cheese, butter, or dairy can help achieve the creamy body of the risotto.

Now that you know these high-leverage principles, it’s time to put them into practice…

TECHNIQUE IN ACTION 🥡

Risotto variations

You’ll notice the following recipes don’t call for constant stirring, which Ethan found to have diminishing returns. Instead, stir a few times during the cooking process and carefully dial in the texture at the end.

Start with the Basic parmesan risotto:

Once you have the classic down, learn how to customize the flavor profile or highlight ingredients in a risotto, such as this mushroom variation:

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Pink coconut water

Why is raw coconut water all over my feed?

Did you know raw coconut water can turn pink when harvested and exposed to light? It contains naturally occurring antioxidants that oxidize, turning the juice into a translucent, rosy shade.

• How come pink coconut water is a rare sight then? Most commercially available coconut water is pasteurized and includes added ascorbic acid to extend shelf life and neutralize any color change.

With rising consumer interest in raw foods, companies like Harmless Harvest are embracing the color change. Instead of creating another shelf-stable product, they offer the nectar as a raw drink that requires refrigeration.

• Customers don’t seem to mind. The company’s colorful gamble has paid off, generating $100+ million in annual sales.

To us, it’s no shock consumers shell out a few extra bucks for the pink stuff. We eat with our eyes: sight and color are as important to flavor as factors like taste and aroma.

Note: don’t confuse coconut water with coconut milk or coconut cream. Learn the label nuances.

READER Q&A 🧠

Reading recommendations

Answer: We always recommend cooking principal-based books before purely recipe-based cookbooks to level up confidence in the kitchen. Start with:

1. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: General cooking principles

2. The Food Lab: A combination of food science and recipes

3. On Food & Cooking: Comprehensive encyclopedia-style resource.

We posted these on our shop page, which you can always check back on to see what we’re reading.

If you’ve already read the above list, here are some honorable mentions to check out:

• The Kitchen Passport by Arseny Knaifel

• Meathead by Goldwyn & Blonder

• Masa by Jorge Gaviria

• An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

• The Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy

• Japanese Home Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto

What other essential books should every home cook read? Let us know and we might shout out your recommendation in an upcoming edition.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Gorgeous gnocchi

This week’s dinner winner is Hannah P. who made gnocchi with a creamy tomato sauce topped with burrata and basil. Learn how to make gnocchi from Ethan here.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

In a minute or less: The foolproof mac & cheese formula

What we’re watching: Raos vs. homemade marinara

Food science: What is gelation in cooking?

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