One of the things I find most fascinating about pasta is the vast range of possibilities it offers. I believe there’s no ingredient that can’t be combined in one way or another with some type of pasta. Even white chocolate! But today I’m going for something more traditional, both in the pasta and the sauce: a dish of penne all'arrabbiata that tastes wonderful even when the heat is on.
As the word “arrabiata” (angry, cross or furious) suggests, this is a dish with attitude, fiery; a dish that definitely has to be spicy. And there’s no debate there. We can make it more or less intense, but the heat has to be there for the dish to make sense. In this so Italian, typically Roman sauce, the ingredient that gives it meaning cannot be missing—be it cayenne, fresh red chilli, chilli paste, ground chilli, jalapeño, habanero or Tabasco. Choose whichever you like—but make sure it’s spicy!
This is the main secret of the dish, along with choosing a pasta like ridged tubes or penne rigate, one of the most traditional short pastas in Italian recipes and one of the most famous worldwide. Its shape makes it ideal for serving with this thick, juicy sauce, full of flavour and as spicy as you want. And to save time, we’re using a pressure cooker. With the Vitavit Premium by Fissler, you’ll find you spend less time cooking these penne all'arrabbiata than licking the plate.
Ingredients
- 400 g penne rigate or ridged tubes
- 100 g onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 fresh red chilli or 1 tablespoon red chilli paste
- 1 large can of chopped tomatoes
- 30 g tomato concentrate
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Grated cheese (Parmesan, pecorino or Grana Padano)
- A few fresh basil leaves
Preparation
- Pour a glug of olive oil into your pressure cooker Vitavit Premium by Fissler and heat over medium heat.
- While the oil heats, finely chop the onion and garlic.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and cook until golden.
- Add the tomato concentrate and stir to combine.
- Now add the chilli paste or the sliced chilli, the optional teaspoon of sugar, and the chopped tomatoes, seasoning to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well so the ingredients and flavours meld.
- Add the pasta and vegetable stock to the pot, secure the lid, and raise the heat. Set cooking to level 3.
- When the yellow ring appears, reduce the heat (to medium) and wait for the green ring to show.
- As soon as the green ring appears, let it cook for 5 minutes, lowering the heat slightly if necessary.
- After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and release the pressure.
- Open the cooker and serve the pasta, grate your favourite cheese on top and garnish with a few fresh basil leaves.
