PENNE ARRABBIATA – Recipe by Piero Benigni – Penne arrabbiata is one of the most famous dishes of Roman and Italian cuisine, well known throughout the world. Simple, hot and easy, it is prepared with few ingredients starting from peeled tomatoes and true “pecorino romano” cheese.
Ingredients for 2 persons
- 170 gpenne rigate (6 oz)
- 400 gpeeled tomatoes (std 14 oz can)
- 2 clovesgarlic
- q.s.chilli
- 30 gpecorino romano (1 oz)
- q.s.salt
- 3 spoonsolive oil
- q.s.parsley (or basil)
- q.s.sugar
Tools for penne arrabbiata
- Cooker
- Pot
- Pan
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Wooden fork
- Colander
- Scale
Put the pot with abundant water over the fire and add salt. Coarsely chop the peeled tomatoes and remove de core if any. Peel the garlic cloves and divide them in two. Grate the cheese, that must be true pecorino romano with the black skin. Chop the parsley but not the basil, depending from what you are using.
Pour in the pan 2 tablespoons of olive and put it over very low fire. Add the garlic and chilli. The dish must be spicy, but you decide how much chilli to use. Keep the heat very low and as soon as the oil begins to bubble around the garlic, add the tomatoes and half a teaspoon of sugar. Remember: the garlic must neither fry nor become brown, only give his smell to the sauce. The little sugar is against the natural acidity of the tomatoes.
Keep cooking over low fire for 15 minutes to reduce the tomatoes and stir frequently. The sauce just needs to simmer gently. Ten minutes after you added the tomatoes in the pan, put the penne into the boiling water. When the tomato sauce is ready remove garlic and chilli and adjust the salt. As soon as the penne are “al dente”, drain and put them in the pan but save some of the cooking water.
Finish cooking the pasta by stirring and sautéing, pouring a few of the boiling water if necessary. The finished dish should be slightly wet and creamy, with a lot of the tomato sauce inside the penne. When the pasta is ok, turn off the fire, spread the pecorino romano cheese, stir a little and serve immediately with a topping of basil (or chopped parsley) and more pecorino romano.
Enjoy your meal!
I suggest non to keep this dish in the fridge, nor to freeze it. It would lose his freshness and smell.
Pour in the pan 2 tablespoons of olive and put it over very low fire. Add the garlic and chilli. The dish must be spicy, but you decide how much chilli to use. Keep the heat very low and as soon as the oil begins to bubble around the garlic, add the tomatoes and half a teaspoon of sugar. Remember: the garlic must neither fry nor become brown, only give his smell to the sauce. The little sugar is against the natural acidity of the tomatoes.
Keep cooking over low fire for 15 minutes to reduce the tomatoes and stir frequently. The sauce just needs to simmer gently. Ten minutes after you added the tomatoes in the pan, put the penne into the boiling water. When the tomato sauce is ready remove garlic and chilli and adjust the salt. As soon as the penne are “al dente”, drain and put them in the pan but save some of the cooking water.
Finish cooking the pasta by stirring and sautéing, pouring a few of the boiling water if necessary. The finished dish should be slightly wet and creamy, with a lot of the tomato sauce inside the penne. When the pasta is ok, turn off the fire, spread the pecorino romano cheese, stir a little and serve immediately with a topping of basil (or chopped parsley) and more pecorino romano.
Enjoy your meal!
I suggest non to keep this dish in the fridge, nor to freeze it. It would lose his freshness and smell.
The oil just bubbling around the garlic
The tomato added into the pan
When the tomato is ready, take out garlic and chilli
The penne drained and put into the pan
Finishing cooking in the pan. Most of the tomato will fill the interior of the penne!