Spaghetti all’Assassina

Ingredients

• 250 g dried spaghetti
• 400 g tomato passata
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 garlic (finely sliced)
• 2 bird’s eye chillies (finely sliced)
• chilli flakes (plus extra for finishing)
• salt (generous pinch for the stock)
• olive oil (lots of good quality oil)
• 1 L water (for the tomato stock)
• stracciatella cheese (for finishing)
• chilli oil (for finishing)

Steps

1. 1

   Whisk 3 tablespoons of tomato paste into approximately 1 liter of water with a generous pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to about 80°C and keep it warm on the stove, similar to how you would keep a stock warm for risotto.

2. 2

   Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a wide pan. Add the sliced garlic and bird's eye chillies, frying gently until they become fragrant.

3. 3

   Add the dry spaghetti directly to the pan with the aromatics. Let the pasta toast for a few minutes until it begins to take on a little color.

4. 4

   Pour in the 400g of tomato passata and allow it to slowly reduce. Resist the urge to stir the pasta too much; the goal is for the tomato to caramelize onto the pan and for the spaghetti to start catching and charring.

5. 5

   Once you have achieved a good amount of caramelization and char on the pasta, begin adding the warm tomato stock one ladle at a time.

6. 6

   Let each addition of stock mostly evaporate before adding the next ladle. Repeat this process until the pasta is cooked through but remains beautifully charred in places.

7. 7

   Finish the dish by topping with stracciatella cheese, a drizzle of chilli oil, and an extra pinch of chilli flakes if desired.

Notes

The key to this dish is patience and resisting the urge to stir. You want the pasta to 'catch' and char against the pan to develop its signature smoky flavor and crunchy texture.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• spicy
• pasta
• vegetarian
• pan-fried
• dinner
• italian