Puttanesca is my absolute favourite store cupboard recipe. I’ve jazzed up the OG a bit here by whacking in some extra oily fish to bump up the omega-3 and protein content some more, making this a beautifully fertility-supporting recipe.

Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, support healthy blood flow and our hormonal health.

Passata and tomato puree pack in lycopene, an antioxidant that’s been shown to be great for sperm health. Capers are a fantastic source of the antioxidant quercetin, whilst black olives provide sperm-supporting vitamin E.

Meanwhile, you’ve got a nice balance of carbs, protein and healthy fats - hitting all your macro needs. This should be pretty well balanced blood-sugar wise, but you could also have a nice salad as a starter, or on the side, to support blood sugar levels more. Bonus points for a bitter salad to support digestion (e.g. with rocket, radicchio, chicory, lemon, watercress etc.) and a dressing with some apple cider vinegar (with The Mother) in it for probiotics and blood sugar support.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped very finely or crushed
10 anchovies (salted in olive oil)
1 tsp chilli flakes
100g good quality black olives, stones removed
2 tbsp capers
2x tins mackerel or sardines - in olive oil, water*
300g passata
4 tbsp tomato puree
80g pasta of choice
Sea salt
20g parsley
Optional: parmesan

Method:

Gently heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan (note: you could also use the olive oil in your jar of anchovies for extra flavour). Add the anchovies, garlic and chilli flakes. Stir and cook until the anchovies have dissolved. Don’t let anything burn or get stuck to the pan - if it’s looking dry, add some more olive oil
Chop the olives roughly, rinse the capers under water to remove some of the excess salt and then add to the pan. Let everything infuse for about 2 minutes
Add the passata, tomato puree and your drained tins of sardines** / mackerel. Mix everything together and then increase the heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes, whilst the pasta cooks
Put a kettle of water on to boil. Add to a large saucepan, bring to boil, add plenty of salt and then add in your pasta of choice. Cook according to pack instructions
Drain the pasta, saving a bit of the starchy water just in case the sauce needs some loosening up
Pour the sauce onto the pasta and mix well. Use some of the salty starchy water if the sauce needs a bit of loosening
Taste and season if necessary (although it should already be salty enough from the anchovies)
Serve into warm pasta bowls and top with finely chopped parsley
Option to add grated parmesan on top. Buon appetito!

*You could also go for tinned fish in tomato sauce, but a) look out for other ingredients in there that may be less healthy e.g. sunflower oil and sugars and b) the acidity of the tomatoes may increase leaching of BPA (most cans are lined with BPA) or aluminium into the food, so I would eat these varieties on occasion rather than as your go-to

**Tinned sardines are fab because you’ve also got the skin and edible bones in there, so you’re getting in extra nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. So that you’re not crunching through bones in your puttanesca, I advise removing the bones first, using your fingers to break them down and THEN add them to the puttanesca. This retains the nutrient density but perhaps makes them a bit more palatable :)