pAsta allarrabiata is the perfect dish for January. Not only is it quick, vegan, and made with ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard, but the name, which means angry, arguably suits my mood now that the last of the Christmas festivities are over. Fortunately, a big bowl of rich tomato pasta can always be counted on to lift the spirits.
Preparatory school 5 minutes
He cooks 25 minutes
serves 2
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilplus more stuff to finish
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 garlic cloves
400 grams of good canned tomatoespassed now
Pen 200 grams (See step 1)
Salt and black pepper
¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 handful of basil leavesOr flat-leaf parsley
1 note on pasta
This dish is traditionally made with penne, but any shape that traps chunky bits of sauce will give you the most enjoyment. Book by Kaz Hildebrand and Jacob Kennedy Pasta engineering He suggests no fewer than 14 substitutes, including farfalle, pappardelle and tagliatelle, while I recommend rigatoni, fusilli, conchigli, or indeed anything vaguely resembling them. He said that, Jamie Oliver uses good old spaghetti.
2 Note on oil
Place the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat (olive oil of preference, and certainly use that to finish the dish, but a neutral oil or actually oil from a can of anchovies would work well here too). Be generous: A fair amount of olive oil is vital to give such a simple sauce the desired richness.
3 Fry the hot peppers
Add chili flakes to the hot oil. Depending on the type you have, you may want to adjust the amount to taste, and if you only have chili powder or paprika, proceed with caution! (Alternatively, if you have fresh peppers you want to use, chop them finely, remove and discard the pith and seeds, if necessary, to reduce heat levels, and add those instead.)
4 Add garlic
Peel the garlic and cut it into thin slices. Once the chili starts to darken, add the garlic and continue cooking until it turns light golden. At this point, some recipes also add a few anchovies or bacon (pancetta, guanciale, chopped bacon or similar), but I don’t think it needs as much.
5- Add the tomatoes and leave them on low heat
Pour in the tomatoes (chopped or whole, it doesn’t matter, although you’ll have to break up the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon while the sauce is cooking) and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6 Cook the pasta
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for the amount of time specified on the package, or to your liking, as it will cook more when combined with the sauce. When the pasta cooking time is over, scoop out a little water and set aside.
7 Add vinegar and season
By the time the pasta is almost done, the sauce should be thick. Add vinegar, stir in marinade and adjust to taste. (If the sauce isn’t quite ready, but the pasta is, drain the pasta and put it in cold water so it doesn’t clump together, then drain it well before adding it to the sauce.)
8- Put the pasta in the sauce
Drain the pasta, then place it in the sauce bowl and toss to coat; If the mixture is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, stirring, over low heat until pasta is well coated, then divide between shallow bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and toss over some basil (or flat-leaf parsley). If you want cheese, Pecorino Romano would be perfect.
9 And if you want to advance…
You can prepare both items in advance (although it’s best to cook the pasta fresh), which leaves the sauce a little looser and the pasta a little more cooked. Store pasta in ice water for up to an hour. Reheat the sauce, then add the well-drained pasta until heated through, and continue as above.
