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Spaghetti all’Assassina (Assassin’s Spaghetti) from Puglia

Spaghetti all’assassina, aka assassin's spaghetti, is a popular cult recipe from Bari in Puglia which was featured on Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy series. It is simply dried spaghetti cooked in a tomato passata (puree) broth using a method known as ‘risottata’. The result is slightly burnt, crispy caramalized spaghetti with an intense spicy tomato flavour. One to try!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 533 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean , Italian

Ingredients

  • 11 ounces spaghetti or vermicelli fine spaghetti is better. I used spaghetti Di Martino
  • 14 ounces tomato passata homemade or store-bought
  • 1-2 tablespoon tomato paste/concentrate
  • 0.4 cup extra virgin olive oil.
  • 2-3 garlic cloves peeled and 1-2 chopped, 1 left whole
  • 1 fresh peperoncino (red chili pepper) or ½ tablespoon flakes or according to taste
  • 1-2 teaspoon sugar optional
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 12 cherry tomatoes optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel the garlic and chop 1-2 cloves finely. If using a fresh red chilli cut into small pieces. Remove the seeds if you prefer it less spicy.
  2. Prepare a broth made with water, ⅔ of the tomato passata/purée (1:1), and the tomato paste and salt, and bring to a boil and simmer. You want the broth to be a bright red and tasty, but still a broth. This broth needs to be hot when you add it to the spaghetti, otherwise you will lower the cooking temperature for the pasta.
  3. In a cast iron pan, add the olive oil, 2 garlic cloves (one whole one chopped), and red chili pepper according to how spicy you want your spaghetti to be. Cook the garlic over a high flame until golden then remove the whole garlic clove and pour in the ⅓ of undiluted tomato passata/purée. To temper the acidity from the tomatoes, you can add 1 tsp. sugar. 
  4. Spread the passata over the whole pan with a wooden spoon and let it reduce and thicken slightly. At this point put the uncooked spaghetti in the pan, distributing the pasta a way that it lies on top of the sauce. NB the passata will spit when first poured into the pan so take care not to get burnt
  5. Wait for the underside of the spaghetti to start caramelizing before turning it over. This must be done carefully, a little at a time using a spatula. Let the otherside of the spaghetti start to crisp a little and then pour in a ladle of the hot tomato broth. It’s better not to pour it over the spaghetti but to add it to the sides of the pan.
  6. At this point the spaghetti should start to soften enough that you can move and stir it gently with a wooden spoon. Move any pasta strands that might have stuck to the bottom of the pan and allow the tomato broth to spread. Once the tomato broth has reduced and the spaghetti starts to stick a little again add more broth.
  7. Keep repeating this step (adding tomato broth and stirring the spaghetti) until the spaghetti is coated in the sauce and cooked. If you run out of tomato broth, you can add a little water. NB when finished, this dish is relatively dry and crispy, not saucy.
  8. I added cherry tomatoes which I had first sautéed in the iron pan before starting on the pasta. I removed them from the pan and then just added them back when my spaghetti all’assassina was ready. This step is optional.
  9. Serve your spaghetti all’assassina immediately topped with Parmigiano, stracciatella or just as is to keep it vegan.

Notes

  • This recipe is vegan as is. If you add Italian Parmigiano it won't be vegetarian as this cheese is made with animal rennet. Use a vegetarian cheese for a vegetarian version.
  • It's better to use fine spaghetti. Traditionalists recommend not using bronze extruded pasta but I did because I prefer that quality of pasta.
  • This recipe is best made in a cast iron pan.
  • Leftovers keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days and can be reheated with a little olive oil and water in a skillet.

Nutrition Information

Calories 533kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 70g (23%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 23g (35%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 16g Sodium 71mg (3%) Potassium 768mg (22%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 824IU (16%) Vitamin C 23mg (26%) Calcium 44mg (4%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 533

% Daily Value*

Calories 533kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 70g 23%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 23g 35%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 16g 80%
Sodium 71mg 3%
Potassium 768mg 16%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 824IU 16%
Vitamin C 23mg 26%
Calcium 44mg 4%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.