When making Penne all’Arrabbiata, the kitchen quickly fills with an Italian atmosphere, and someone will surely ask if there is another plate left. "Arrabbiata" means spicy, but this pasta is just pleasantly spicy — unless the chili decides otherwise. The answer usually depends on how quickly the questioner gets to the pot.
Thorough preparation
- Preparation: prepare all the ingredients, grate the cheeses, chop the necessary ingredients, and set aside a large mug for the pasta's starchy cooking water. With Italian pasta, it is important to have everything at hand due to the quick assembly.
- Heat the olive oil, add the thinly sliced garlic and the crushed chili. Just smell it on a low flame.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Cook the penne in plenty of salted water until al dente and set aside with a cup of the cooking water.
- Roll the pasta in the sauce, then mix with a little cooking water for a minute so that the sauce covers the ribbed penne.
- Serve with chopped parsley and a little olive oil.
- Finishing and serving: serve the pasta immediately on a preheated plate. Before serving, check the consistency of the sauce; if it's too thick, loosen it with a little cooking water, if it's too thin, work it together with short, vigorous stirring.
Practical tips and common mistakes
- Do not brown the garlic; sweet when toasted until fragrant, the whole sauce becomes bitter when burnt.
- Cook the pasta until al dente, because it softens even more in the sauce.
- Grate the cheese finely and add it in several portions so that it melts smoothly.
- Serve fresh: these sauces thicken quickly as they stand.