Tortiglioni all'Arrabbiata

Sugo* all'Arrabbiata is a classic pasta sauce from Central/Southern Italy that can be prepared very quickly, while the pasta cooks. This sauce is traditionally quite spicy, and this is at the origin of its name (all'arrabbiata, in Italian means 'angry-style'). If desired, a milder version can be made, but a certain amount of heat is necessary to counter the acidity of the lightly cooked tomato, and enhance its flavor. (*Sugo is another name for 'salsa', sauce.)
Ingredients for 2 people
- 500 g of peeled diced tomatoes (fresh or from a quality can)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 chili pepper (whole or seeded if a milder sauce is desired)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 150 g of dried short pasta (e.g.: tortiglioni, rigatoni, penne)
- salt
Preparation
- Mince chili pepper and garlic (fig. 1).
- In a large non-stick pan, fry garlic and chili pepper in olive oil for 2 minutes (fig. 2).
- Add the diced tomatoes (fig. 3), cook at medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Boil the pasta in plenty of salty water for the time indicated on the box.
- Add the well drained pasta to the pan and toss for 1 minute at high heat (fig. 4).
- Take off the heat, sprinkle with parsley, serve immediately.