Pasta Capers and Olives

Pasta with capers and olives is a simple dish from Mediterranean cuisine, flavorful and very quick to prepare. Here is the recipe for 4 people:

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or other formats of your choice)
• 2 tablespoons of salted capers (rinsed and desalted)
• 100 g of black olives (pitted and sliced)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Dried red chili pepper to taste
• Fresh chopped parsley (optional)
• Salt, as needed
• 200 g of peeled tomatoes (optional, to add a touch of acidity and color)

Preparation

1. Put a pot of water to boil for the pasta, salt it once boiling, and cook the pasta until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and add the peeled and crushed garlic (or finely chopped if you prefer to find it in the bites) and the dried chili pepper.

3. As soon as the garlic begins to fry, add the capers and olives. Let them season for about 2 minutes.

4. If you choose to use peeled tomatoes, add them at this point, crushing them a bit with a fork to break them up. Slightly increase the flame and let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes, until it has slightly reduced.

5. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce in the pan, sautéing everything for a minute so that the flavors bind well.

6. Serve the pasta with capers and olives garnished with fresh chopped parsley, if you like a touch of color and freshness.

Curiosity

Capers are an important element of Mediterranean cuisine, especially in Italy. They are widely used in the southern regions, such as Sicily, where they are employed in many preparations. Their intense flavor is perfect to add a touch of liveliness to simple dishes like this pasta.