I have an Italian seafood cookbook, "Cucina Del Mare" by Evan Kleiman (1993), and enjoy many of the recipes precisely because of their simplicity. It's a great "go-to" mid-week cookbook when we're craving simple, healthy seafood.

Why are the shrimp "angry" in this recipe? Possibly because of the red pepper flakes in the ingredient list, though Kleiman doesn't reveal the secret in the recipe's headnote. I hope to mellow their anger, a bit, by using less pepper flakes.

Italians have some amusing names for spicy recipes, in general -"Puttanesca" is another one of them. According to the web site forum.wordreference, "Puttanesca was named for a sauce made by the 'working ladies of the evening' who used a combination of savory and aromatic ingredients most available to them..." This sauce has the flavor many of the characteristics of a classic Puttanesca; however the pronounced anchovy in a Puttanesca replaced here with shrimp.

I will spend the extra couple of bucks ($5.29 for 28 oz.at Meijer's) to get the Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes for this recipe. They are incredibly sweet, not possessing the metallic characteristics of many other brands of canned tomatoes. There are only a few ingredients in this recipe, so choice of tomato makes a big difference in the flavor profile.

The DOC (Protected Designation of Origin) seal on the label certifies they are the superior tomatoes from the San Marzano region of Italy.

Linguini with Angry Shrimp (Linguine con Gamberi Arrabiati) Recipe adapted from "Cucina del Mare", by Evan Kleiman

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-3 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can imported Italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
1 pound medium shrimp, (thawed if frozen), peeled and deveined
12 ounces dry best quality spinach or egg linguini
Fresh chopped basil or Italian parsley

Directions

1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add chili pepper flakes. For mildly spicy, add 1 teaspoon of the pepper flakes (up to 3 teaspoons for very spicy), and as the flakes begin to release their color, add the tomatoes, crushing them between your fingers as you add them to the pan.
2. Stir the tomatoes, mixing well with the oil and chile pepper flakes. Add the tablespoon of garlic, stir, and season sauce to taste with kosher salt. Simmer sauce until tomatoes begin to break down, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the remaining teaspoon garlic and sauté 1 minute, then add shrimp and sauté until just cooked, about 2 minutes.
4. Boil linguini according to package instructions. Drain and immediately toss pasta with shrimp and tomato sauce, chopped basil or parsley, and serve.