Spaghetti All’Assassina (Assassin’s Spaghetti)

Nov 16

Assassin's Spaghetti (Spaghetti All'Assassina) — Obsessed with you.

My love for Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci knows no bounds, but the Puglia episode really captured me recently. Specifically this dish - Assassin's Spaghetti. I had never seen any pasta dish ever made quite like this. I have lived my whole life being taught that the worst thing you could do is burn pasta or sauce, but damn! It looked so good! So, I immediately knew I had to try it out.

As always, I put my own spin on it and you should too! The story behind it is that the first time it was served, the diners said it was so spicy, the chef was a killer... or otherwise translated, an assassin. This definitely will have a different taste than the usual plate of pasta, and it is delicious!

Tips: Find a pan that is big enough, but I would NOT suggest a cast iron! Tomatoes can be very harsh to cast irons skillets. You want the pan to allow you to not break all of the spaghetti. Also, try to use a burner that produces even heat or some spots will get crispy while the others won’t. This is meant to be spicy, so play with how much heat you add based on what you can handle.

Serves: 1-2 People

Cook Time: Approximately 15-30 Mins

Ingredients:

- 3/4-1 lb Spaghetti

- 2 1/2 Tblspns Olive Oil (Use the good stuff here!)

- 1-2 Tspns Red Pepper Flake or 1-2 Tspns Thinly Diced Hot Pepper

- 1 1/2 Cup Boiling Water

- 1 Cup Passata

- 4 Garlic Cloves, Diced

- 2-3 Tspns Tomato Paste

- 2 Tspns Salt

Optional:

- 8 Cherry Tomatoes, Chopped

- Basil

Assassin's Spaghetti Ingredients — So simple yet so good.

Instructions:

1. Add the salt and tomato paste to a pot of water and turn to medium high heat. Let it boil.

2. Pour the passata into a bowl on the side, but near you so it is easily accessible. you can put it in another pot as well on low heat, if you prefer.

3. Drizzle the olive oil into your pan and put it on medium high heat.

4. After about a minute, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Work the oil, garlic, and pepper around the bottom of the pan so that all of the ingredients evenly coat the bottom of the pan.

5. Turn off the boiling water.

6. Add the pasta to the pan then add a ladle of water and a ladle of passata to the pan. Let simmer for about 3 minutes until the liquids start evaporating.

7. Once most of the liquid is evaporated, slowly add another half ladle of both the passata and water again. Repeat.

8. At this point, use a wooden spoon to check the bottom of the pan. If the pasta has gotten crunchy on the bottom, scrape it off the pan and flip it. If not, let it sit until you hear it crackle.

9. Once the pasta is flipped, add one more half ladle of both the passata and water.

10. Right before you are ready to remove the pasta from the pan, gently toss the basil and cherry tomatoes into the pan.