Spaghetti all’assassina (assassin’s spaghetti)

The pasta dish that breaks all the rules! This classic Pugliese offering begs you to forget all that you know about cooking pasta and to trust the process. This uniquely tasty and visually stunning pasta dish is ready in less than 15 minutes, perfect for late-night cravings.

Spaghetti all’assassina (assassin’s spaghetti). Credit: Plum Books / Alan Benson

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 75 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1–2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1–2 bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced
• 400 ml passata
• salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 400 g dried spaghetti

Instructions

1. Place 1 litre of water and the tomato paste in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, then set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large stainless-steel or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat, then add the garlic and chilli and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Tip in the passata, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3–5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly.
3. Add the spaghetti in one layer to the pan. Coat with the sauce and cook, undisturbed, for about 3 minutes to help caramelise the pasta. Use a spatula to roll your pasta over to start cooking the other side.
4. Start adding the reserved tomato water to the pan, 1–2 ladlefuls at a time, trying not to move the pasta around too much. Keep adding the tomato water to the pan as though you’re adding stock to a risotto. Only stir very gently and occasionally. It will look like the pasta is sticking, and that’s what you want. Keep doing this for 8–9 minutes until the pasta is al dente and most of the tomato water has been absorbed.
5. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Serve the pasta in bowls with an extra drizzle of olive oil, if liked. Eat straight away!

Note

As tempting as it is to use a non-stick pan, resist the urge, as you will only ever achieve the intriguing texture of this dish in a stainless-steel or cast-iron pan.

This is an edited extract from Italian Family Food by Silvia Colloca (Plum, RRP $44.99), photography by Alan Benson.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.