Spaghetti all'Assassina

Name: Spaghetti all'Assassina
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Spaghetti Quadrati pasta 11.3 oz; Tomato purée 2 ½ cups; Cherry tomatoes 2 cups; Dried chili pepper 1 tsp; Garlic 1 clove; Water 2 ½ cups; Extra virgin olive oil 10 tbsp; Fine salt to taste

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 4 persone
Cost: Very low

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Gola Bistrot

With killer spaghetti, we take you to Puglia to discover a tantalizing first course that has rightfully become part of the local culinary tradition. Created in the heart of Bari in 1967 by Enzo Francavilla, the chef of the restaurant "Al Sorso Preferito," this dish is the result of a brilliant and impromptu idea: a customer asked for "something they had never eaten before," and Francavilla, with a few simple ingredients and the intuition to cook the pasta directly in the sauce, created a poor, rustic yet ingenious dish. The result? An explosion of flavor that made history.

What makes these crispy tomato spaghetti unique is the direct cooking of the pasta in the spicy tomato sauce: a technique that gives a slight crust, enhancing the intense flavor of the chili with a pleasant smoky note that has conquered the people of Bari – and beyond.

Today, there are numerous competitions among restaurateurs competing for the title of "best killer" in the city. For us, this iconic recipe was prepared by Chef Michele Simplicio along with Michele Mastrorilli, owner of Gola Bistrot in Bari, who honored its authentic and flavorful spirit by carrying on the original recipe of Chef Francavilla.

Killer spaghetti is a bold and daring dish, perfect for those who love strong flavors and creative cuisine: a true declaration of love for chili pepper. And it's this "killer" spiciness that gives rise to the curious name of the recipe: a nickname born as a joke, aptly describing the strong and irresistibly tasty character of this pasta!

Discover other delicious first courses from Puglian cuisine:

INGREDIENTS: Spaghetti Quadrati pasta 11.3 oz (320 g); Tomato purée 2 ½ cups (600 g); Cherry tomatoes 2 cups (300 g); Dried chili pepper 1 tsp (5 g); Garlic 1 clove; Water 2 ½ cups (600 g); Extra virgin olive oil 10 tbsp (150 g); Fine salt to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Spaghetti all'Assassina

To prepare killer spaghetti, start by finely chopping the peeled garlic clove and dried chili pepper 1 2 to obtain a homogeneous mince 3.

Wash and quarter the fresh cherry tomatoes 4. At this point, in an iron pan, pour the olive oil and the aromatic mince 5. Let it sauté just long enough to flavor 6.

Then add the cherry tomatoes 7 and the tomato puree 8, cook for a few minutes, then cover with water 9.

Add salt 10 and continue cooking for a few more minutes; the sauce should be quite liquid because the spaghetti will need to cook in it. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water 11 for a minute, just enough to soften them slightly 12.

Drain the pasta directly into the sauce 13 and continue cooking. After a few minutes, stir 14, then let the pasta absorb the liquids without stirring until the Maillard reaction is activated, meaning it reaches a temperature that colors the pasta, creating the typical crust. At this point, stir vigorously to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. The entire process will take about 15-20 minutes. The spaghetti will be ready when they have absorbed the sauce and are slightly toasted 15.

Immediately serve the killer spaghetti 16 with their cherry tomato sauce 17 and enjoy them piping hot 18!

Storage

It is recommended to consume the killer spaghetti immediately.

Advice

Instead of an iron pan, you can also use a Lyonnaise pan or a non-stick pan.

The Maillard reaction is a chemical process that activates when cooking food at high temperatures, usually above 284°F. It is this reaction that gives killer spaghetti their crispy crust and distinct flavor that makes them so irresistible!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

Spaghetti all'Assassina

PRESENTATION

How to prepare Spaghetti all'Assassina

Storage

Advice

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