This one is just for me. It is spicy, fussy, and the yield is small. But it’s also very special. If you’re reading this, it deserves a bit of story.
One of the very first things I ever cooked and called my own was “hot pasta,” literally just spaghetti with sauce from a jar to which I had added a bunch of dried cayenne. Fast forward about 13 years, and the algorithm on some social media site or other decided to feed me a video of someone making this recipe, spaghetti all’assassina. Originating in Bari, Italy (near the heel of the boot), this recipe involved deliberately charring the pasta and looked like the spiciest, savoriest, best dang version of pasta and tomato sauce I could imagine. I realized that this was the hot pasta I had wanted to be making all along.
So I set about trying to make it. I tried 4-5 different recipes to varying degrees of success, all leaving me wanting. The recipe below is a hybrid of several, the result of a lot of trial and even more error. it takes some nerve, but the good news is that even if you screw it up this dish still tends to be delicious.
NOTE: This recipe requires a 14” or larger pan. If you don’t have one, break your spaghetti in half, and then hide your face in shame. Not recommended. Also, stainless steel or enameled cast iron works best. Avoid nonstick - we want it to stick!! If you have to choose between the right size and the right material, go for the right material.
30 minutes
serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side
1 quart of water, moderately salted (i.e. not unpleasant to taste)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tsp. red chili flake (the dish is meant to be spicy, but you can use less if desired)
1/2 Lb. (8 Oz.) spaghetti (bronze dye cut is important)
14 Oz. (1 bottle) Passatta (plain tomato sauce)
To serve:
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 burrata, divided into segments
In a small saucepan, bring the salted water to a boil, then reduce heat.
In a separate, large pan (14” or more), heat the olive oil on medium high till shimmering. Add the garlic, tomato paste and chili flake, mixing and spreading aroud until fragrant, 20-30 seconds. Add the dry pasta directly on top of the oil mixture, spreading to cover as much surface as possible.
Pour in about 1/4 of the passatta, and just enough of the hot salted water to cover the pasta in the pan. Spread the passatta as needed but do not disturb the pasta. Wait for the sound of simmering (hot water) to turn into sizzling (hot oil), then wait 30 more seconds.
Use a fish turner or hard spatula to flip the sheet of pasta over in chunks.The pasta should look charred and blackened in spots. Scrape up any charred bits as you go.
Repeat seps 3-4 until the pasta reaches desired doneness, allowing more char as you go. Note: you may not use all the passatta or water. That is ok. The pasta is cooked when it’s cooked.
Taste for salt, adding more if desired, then transfer to bowls and serve immidiately with a small squeeze of lemon and the portioned burrata.