Pasta Vitello Puttanesca – Sybaritica

I purchased some nice thin veal cutlets in my local store just the other day and one of the uses I planned was for a pasta dish something like a Puttanesca (but with veal added). I only had green olives, rather than the black sort I usually use, and I also happened to have some nice fresh Basil that I thought might make a nice addition. Altogether, my creation departs quite a bit from most Puttanesca recipes, but it is close enough, I think, that the name still applies …

As this dish was just for me, I used just single veal cutlet. I sliced it into thin strips and then marinated them for about an hour or so with some salt, white pepper, a tiny pinch of thyme and some olive oil.

This is the sort of quick pasta sauce that can be made while the pasta is cooking, so, once you add your pasta (spaghetti in this case) to a pot of salted boiling water, you can begin by quickly sautéing the strips of veal in a bit of oil until they brown.

When the veal is cooked, remove it to a platter and drain the excess oil from your pan. Then deglaze the bottom with a quarter cup of white wine. Add a tablespoon or so of butter and then sauté about a quarter cup of mixed onion until it is soft.

Next, add about a half-cup of tomato sauce, 4 or 5 large, pitted green olives sliced into rings, and a tablespoon or so of capers. Let this cook until the pasta is completely cooked, adding a little of the pasta water to the pan if it starts to dry out too much.

When ready, drain the pasta and add it to the pan and toss as the sauce coats and cooks into it.

Finally, throw in a bunch of torn Basil leaves, toss again and, once they are wilted, serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese. That’s it …