← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 400 g spaghetti (thick spaghetti or spaghettoni are best)
• 700 g passata, divided
• 2 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 600 ml Water
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh red chillies (or 1 tsp chilli flakes), finely chopped
• 1 tsp Sugar (optional)
• Salt

Method

1. Make the tomato broth: in a saucepan, whisk the water with 500 g of the passata, the tomato paste, sugar and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer and keep it hot on the lowest heat.
2. In your widest heavy frying pan (cast iron or a good non-stick), warm the oil with the garlic and chilli over medium heat for 1 minute, until sizzling. Add the remaining 200 g passata and cook for 2 min.
3. Lay the raw spaghetti in the pan in a single layer and fry for 2–3 min without moving it, until the underside starts to char. Turn it over with tongs.
4. Add a ladle of the hot broth and let it evaporate completely, until the pasta sizzles and sticks a little. Scrape and turn it, then add the next ladle. Keep going for 15–18 min, until the spaghetti is al dente, deep red and blackened in spots.
5. Serve straight from the pan, scraping up the crunchy bits. No cheese needed.

Tips

• Resist stirring: the charred, crispy strands are the whole point.
• A non-stick pan is more forgiving; a well-seasoned iron pan gives the best crust.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Memorie di Angelina Sip and Feast GialloZafferano