Penne all'Arrabbiata
A Roman pasta dish where crushed tomatoes simmer in garlic and chili oil until the sauce turns sharp with peperoncino, then is stirred through with chopped parsley.
While the water comes to a boil, the tomatoes are crushed and garlic and peperoncino are left to slowly perfume the oil. The sauce simmers down before the penne is finished off in the pan with a little pasta water and topped with parsley. The glossy bond between sauce and pasta is the most important point of the dish.
Ingredients
- 500 g penne rigate
- 2 can peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 pcs dried peperoncino, crumbled, with the seeds
- 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- salt, for the pasta water and the sauce
How to make it
- Set a large pot with 4 liters of water over high heat and salt it generously, so the water tastes distinctly salty. Let it come to a boil for about 10 minutes, until the surface bubbles restlessly. ⏱ 10 min · passive
- Pour the peeled tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands for 3 minutes. Continue until no whole tomatoes remain, but the pieces are still coarse and uneven — the sauce should be rustic and never blended smooth.Chef's tip Hand-crushing leaves torn, uneven edges that hold sauce; a blender whips in air and turns the tomatoes pink and thin. Stop when the largest pieces are still thumb-sized.
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat and add the garlic slices and the crumbled peperoncino. Let them steep for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold at the edges and the oil smells sharply of chili. Turn the heat down if the garlic colors too quickly, since browned garlic will make the whole sauce bitter.Chef's tip Capsaicin and garlic's aromatic compounds are fat-soluble, so this gentle steep carries the heat into the oil and through the whole dish. Listen for a quiet, lazy sizzle — brisk crackling means it's too hot.
- Stir the crushed tomatoes into the seasoned oil and salt the sauce. Let it simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and the oil separates out as red beads along the edge. ⏱ 15 min–20 minChef's tip Leave the pan uncovered, or the evaporation stops and the sauce will never thicken. It's ready when a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that closes back over slowly.
- Cook the penne in the salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, until al dente with a firm core. Ladle out 2 dl of the pasta water before draining the pasta in a colander — you'll use 1 dl in the next step, and the last dl is a reserve in case the sauce tightens up. ⏱ 10 min · passiveChef's tip Pull the penne a minute before the packet says — it finishes cooking in the sauce. Bite one: a thin pale line at the core is right, a chalky white band means it needs longer.
- Pour the freshly cooked penne into the pan with the sauce, and add 1 dl of the reserved pasta water. Toss over high heat for 2 minutes, until every tube is coated in sauce and the liquid has cooked down into a glossy glaze.Chef's tip The starch in the pasta water lets oil and tomato bind into a glaze that coats each tube. Keep tossing until it turns glossy rather than watery; add the reserve dl if it goes tight and matte.
- Take the pan off the heat and fold in the coarsely chopped parsley, so it keeps its fresh scent. Season to taste with salt — canned tomatoes vary in acidity, and this final adjustment determines the balance against the chili.
- Plate the penne in preheated, wide-rimmed pasta bowls, and scrape the last of the sauce from the pan over the pasta. Serve immediately, while the sauce is still glossy and clinging to the pasta.
