Olive juice, or brine, is really just salty water. Many foods we buy are stored in a similar solution. Pickles, capers and roasted red peppers are all conserved in salty brines. Usually, we just dump it down the drain, but you can use them in your cooking.
I use brine to make a vinaigrette that adds a Mediterranean mystique to my favourite salads. In a Mason jar, I add two parts olive oil, one part red wine vinegar, one part olive brine and one part sugar/honey/maple syrup. Add dried herbs if desired. Cover jar, and shake until combined.
My take on pasta puttanesca uses the same olive brine to infuse the iconic dish with Mediterranean flavour. Featuring a garlicky tomato sauce full of olives and capers, it’s cheap and quick to prepare. Please enjoy this recipe, and please, hang onto your brines!
The necessities
Yield: two to four servings
Time needed: 25 minutes
Kitchen equipment:
Skillet or high-walled pan
Large pot
Strainer or colander
Fork or potato masher
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28-oz can tomatoes and juices
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 of a cup olive brine
3/4 of a cup olives, pitted and halved
1 tablespoon capers
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 pound long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, spaghettini, etc.)
Preparation
1. Boil a pot of water on the stove and salt it. We’ll use this later to cook the pasta. Then, in a large skillet or high-walled pan, warm two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add three cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Drain a can of tomatoes, reserving juices in a bowl for later. Add to the skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper. Remember, we’ll be adding the olive brine later, so don’t get too frisky with the salt just yet.
Boost heat to medium-high and cook until tomatoes begin to break down. If the tomatoes are stubborn, take a potato masher or fork and gently break up the pieces.
Once the tomatoes are mostly broken down, add three-quarters of a cup of olive brine and mix. Allow sauce to thicken for about two minutes, and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Stir in three-quarters of a cup of halved olives, one tablespoon capers and red pepper flakes. Keep simmering the sauce while you cook the pasta.
4. Add your pasta of choice to the pot of boiling water and cook for about four to five minutes. We’re aiming for al dente – tender but still slightly chewy. Test a piece. If it has a slightly chewy texture, proceed to step five. If not, cook the pasta until it reaches that texture.
5. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the pasta, trying to coat it in the sauce.
If sauce needs thinning, add a tablespoon at a time of the reserved tomato juices until sauce fully coats the pasta. Alternately, if the sauce is too thin, turn up heat and allow to reduce until not runny.
Taste, adjusting seasonings if needed. Serve.
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