Vegetarian Sauce Puttanesca

Traditionally, puttanesca sauce gets a lot of the depth and richness of its flavour from the inclusion of anchovies. This vegetarian version recreates some of those flavours with the addition of gherkins and fish-free Worcester sauce. It's incredible simple to make and you can whack it on a high heat if you want to speed up the process. However, the flavours definitely come across richer and more satisfying if you have the patience to simmer for longer on a low heat, as this recipe suggests. Any unused sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tblsp capers
3 gherkins, finely chopped
10 green olives
10 black olives
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1-2 tblsp fish-free Worcester sauce
1 des. spoon dried oregano
1tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Gently fry the chilli, garlic, capers, gherkin and olives for a few minutes, stirring continuously until the garlic turns translucent. I like to keep the olives whole, as I think this adds more interest to the texture of the sauce.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and fish-free Worcester sauce and increase the heat, stirring continuosly until the sauce starts to bubble.

3. Add the oregano and black pepper and reduce the heat. Let the sauce simmer for 20-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, test the sauce and add more fish-free Worcester sauce, pepper and oregano if necessary.