This sauce, originally from the Roman countryside, is particularly well-suited to penne pasta (penne all'arrabbiata).
The word "arrabbiata" means "angry" in Italian. This name refers to the dish's spiciness, caused by the red chili peppers (peperoncino), which can make the face "redden," similar to when one is angry. The dish is believed to have originated in the 20th century, after chili peppers gained popularity in Italian cuisine.
It is a simple, popular recipe, emblematic of "cucina povera" (peasant cuisine), where inexpensive ingredients are enhanced with bold, intense flavors.
Pasta : 200 grams. Penne (tubes with beveled ends) are preferred.
Tomatoes: 12 Cherry Tomatoes. You can work perfectly well with canned tomato pulp (in this case I use the small 210g cans from Mutti). I said pulp, not tomato puree or concentrated tomato. The other option, which I prefer when I have some available, is fresh tomatoes. I use cherry tomatoes (also good quality, there's no mystery, if you use industrial tomatoes full of water, you won't get any flavor!) which I cut in half.
Garlic: 2 to 3 cloves of garlic (according to taste).
Chili Pepper: For the spicy side, you can use half a fresh red chili pepper that you can cook like that and remove at the end of preparation before making the mixtures or you can cut it into small pieces after removing the seeds. You can also use it instead of ground cayenne pepper. Half a gram gives a spiciness that I find nice, I sometimes put 0.25 when someone has clearly specified that they are afraid of the spicy side or 0.75 when people like "it to be a little hot". I also like to add two merguez sausages cut into small pieces, I should point out that this is not in the original recipe, but it goes really well with the recipe.
Cheese: Traditionally in Rome the dish is served with grated Pecorino Romano cheese on hand.
Start the recipe 25 minutes before serving by chopping the garlic and preparing the merguez sausages if you have chosen to add some. I am not talking about cooking the pasta since it depends on your pasta so it is up to you to integrate the heating of the water and the cooking of the pasta into the timing. I cook on gas and for the pasta water, I heat a little water in the bottom of the pan and a liter and a half in the electric kettle. With this method it takes me about 4 minutes to have boiling water in the pan.
M-20: Heat the pan with olive oil and the merguez sausages. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and weigh the pasta.
M-17: Add the cherry tomatoes cut in half to the pan - Season with salt and pepper.
M-15: Reduce the heat under the pan, add the garlic and chili if desired, then stir.
M-01: Drain the pasta then add it, mix well for one minute then serve.
M: When serving, you will be offered grated Pecorino Romano.
