I can neither confirm or deny, but it’s easy and perfect for hot weather cooking.
Pasta Puttanesca
4-6 minced cloves of garlic
4 anchovy fillets
A good handful of fresh basil, like five sprigs or a cup — chopped
A dash of red pepper flakes (I don’t like things so hot I can’t taste anything else and my upper lip breaks out into a sweat, but if you do add a half a teaspoon.)
2 Tablespoons minced capers
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
One of those big cans of Italian tomatoes, they’re usually 28.2 ounces, whirl it up in the blender so it becomes a soupy purée
One pound pasta
Olive oil
This is how you make it. It only takes a few minutes. First put a ton of salted water up to boil and cook a pound of pasta for about ten minutes. While that is going on, pour a generous amount of olive oil in the bottom of a pan and saute the anchovy fillets (squish them with the back of a fork), garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, olives, and capers until everything is kind of melded together and fragrant. Keep an eye on this, the garlic should just become golden, and then pour in your tomato purée. Mom would always add a pinch of sugar to the sauce, I think it’s gross, I leave that decision to you. Simmer until the pasta is done. Drain the pasta. Place the pasta in a big bowl, toss with the sauce and serve.
Remember Ms. Loren’s quote: “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” I can’t exactly say the same, but I do know pasta and complex carbohydrates produce endorphins. So get happy and treat yourself to some noodles.