Rigatoni Puttanesca - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and slivered
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (2 ounce) cans anchovies packed in oil
3/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives
4 tablespoons drained capers
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
fresh coarse ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb rigatoni pasta or 1 lb other large tube-shaped pasta
parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy saucepan.
Add onion and garlic; cook over low heat for10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are wilted.
Crush tomatoes slightly; add to the saucepan along with their liquid.
Stir in tomato paste; cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Coarsely chop the anchovies and add to the saucepan along with their oil.
Stir in olives, capers, basil, oregano, red-pepper flakes and black pepper.
Stir gently and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Add pasta and cook until just tender (al dente); for rigatoni, allow 10 to 12 minutes.
Drain pasta and serve topped with puttanesca sauce.
Pass the Parmesan.