Pasta Arrabbiata

Ingredients

• 500 g Pasta
• a few tablespoons Olive oil
• Chilli flakes or diced chilli peppers
• several Crushed garlic cloves
• 800 g Crushed tomatoes
• Chopped parsley
• Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Method

Arrabbiata is about restraint: the heat of chilli and garlic builds slowly in olive oil, the tomatoes barely simmer, and the pasta water ties everything together. Start your pasta water now — you want a rolling boil before the sauce is half done.

Warm 75 ml olive oil in a large, heavy pan over low heat. Slice four garlic cloves thinly and add them to the oil along with 1–2 teaspoons chilli flakes (or one diced red chilli). This is where most cooks slip up: they rush the heat and burn the garlic, which turns bitter and ruins the dish. Keep the flame low. You're infusing the oil, not frying. After 2–3 minutes, the garlic should be pale gold and fragrant — this is your cue to add the 800 g crushed tomatoes.

Increase the heat to medium and let it bubble gently. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. The sauce will look loose at first. Simmer for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You're looking for the surface to darken slightly and the raw tomato sharpness to soften; the sauce should thicken just enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a brief trail. This isn't a reduction — you want the simmering to be gentle enough that the acidity mellows without concentrating too much.

When the sauce is nearly ready, salt the pasta water heavily (it should taste like the sea) and cook your pasta 1–2 minutes shorter than the packet suggests. Reserve 200 ml of pasta water before draining. Turn off the heat under the sauce. Add the drained pasta directly to the pan, then add 100 ml pasta water and stir constantly for about a minute. The starch in the water emulsifies with the oil and tomato, creating a silky coating rather than a watery pool. If it looks too thick, add more pasta water — a tablespoon at a time. Tear in most of a handful of parsley.

Plate into warm bowls and finish with a scatter of parsley and grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano. The italian-cuisine principle here is simple: let the three elements — chilli, garlic, tomato — speak clearly.