Chicken alla Puttanesca

Puttanesca Sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 28.2-ounce can of tomatoes
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

I've never had puttanesca sauce before, so I wanted to give it a try. The sauce didn't appeal to me because of the anchovies, but after trying them for the first time I realized they're not so bad after all. If you're brave, give them a try-no matter how creepy they may look in those jars. This recipe also calls for kalamata olives, but since I don't have them on hand I'm going to leave those out for this time around. Now pasta would be the obvious accompaniment with this sauce, but since it's bikini season we're going to try go easy on the carbs (most nights at least). I'm going to serve this up with some sautéed chicken breast and broccoli rabe (OK, maybe some garlic bread too).

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with puree, anchovies, capers, oregano, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Simmer sauce over medium-low heat until thickened, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. I had cooked the chicken the night before, so I just heated it up in the sauce while I cooked the broccoli rabe and Rich made the garlic bread. Top off with some fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

I'll be making this sauce all summer long, and I can't wait to try with pasta and seafood!