Traditional Arrabbiata sauce
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And since we are going traditional, I might as well use penne rigate (penne with ridges, or lines acorss the sides) as this is the type of pasta traditionally served with Arrabbiata sauce.
The traditional version has a couple more ingredients compared to my stripped down version, but it remains a simple dish - simple in taste and simple in preparation. So it's not as if you will need a great deal more effort to prepare this sauce.
This is how many authentic Italian pasta dishes are. And how they should be. The simplicity makes such pasta dishes - along with others like spaghetti aglio olio or even the original pasta carbonara and fettuccine Alfredo - suitable for regular consumption as a daily food.
For many of us non-Italians, a pasta meal is more likely to be a rare restaurant treat and so we tend to tend to expect richer and more elaborate preparations. But as a daily food in Italy, pasta is mostly simple.
And by the way, this Arrabbiate sauce is an original ITALIAN pasta dish. The name Arrabbiata - along with the use of chilli - might make it seem to have Arab origins.
But no. The dish originated in Rome and Arrabbiata is an Italian word that means "angry". So Arrabbiata sauce means "angry sauce", which is a reference to its hot, fiery taste. There are many variations but the main sauce ingredients are olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, chili and basil. Even then, many chefs break with tradition and leave out the basil.
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup bacon fat
- 2 - 3 red chilli, seeds removed
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion
- 1 can (approx 240 grams) tomatoes
- large pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 500 grams penne rigate or other pasta, cooked according to instructions.
Method:
- Finely cut the bacon fat.
- Finely cut chilli, garlic and onion, or blend coarsely in a food processor.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. Add the bacon fat, garlic, chilli and salt, and fry for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the oil comes out from the bacon fat and the fat turns golden brown.
- Add the canned tomatoes and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.
- Add the basil leaves, toss in the cooked pasta and serve.
Notes:
- The amount of garlic and chilli is about the average given in most recipes for Arrabbiata sauce. If, like me, you prefer a more fiery flavour, feel free to increase the amounts of both ingredients. Personally, I would make this Arrabbiata sauce with about six chillis and eight cloves of garlic.
- If you use fresh instead of canned tomatoes, use about 1/2 kg of very ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly, plus about 1/2 cup of water. Then simmer for 45 minutes or longer, until the sauce is thick and rich.
- If you don't have bacon fat, use a bit more olive oil and 1/4 cup of finely cut bacon. What you want is the flavour of the bacon to add richness and complexity to an otherwise simple sauce.
- Instead of fresh chilli, you can also used dried chilli flakes - the type sometimes sprinkled over pizza in US-style pizza restaurants. The flavour is different, of course, but still nice. Use 1 tsbp or more, depending on your tolerance for spice.
- Feel free to add other ingredients. I have seen Arrabbiata sauce recipes with button mushroom, cabbage, chicken, shrimp, etc.
- Some Arrabbiata sauce recipes include a small amount of sugar, about 1 tsp. I suspect this is to "smoothen" the hot chilli taste for those unaccustomed to spicy food. Personally I dislike using sugar in cooking because it imparts an artificial sweetness. I prefer the natural sweetness of ingredients like ripe tomatoes and onions (cooked slowly). But if you feel you need to smoothen the hot chilli, why not?
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