One of the things I love most about pasta is that it offers a huge range of possibilities. I believe there isn't any ingredient that can't be paired one way or another with some kind of pasta. Even white chocolate! But today I'll stick to something more traditional, both for the pasta and the sauce, a dish of penne all'arrabbiata that, even when the heat is on, tastes wonderful to me.
As the word "arrabiata" suggests, meaning "angry, mad or furious," this is a recipe with bite, fierce; a dish that must be spicy, no doubt. And at this point there is no discussion possible. We can make it more or less intense, but the spiciness has to be there for this dish to make sense. In this very Italian sauce, typical of Roman cuisine, the ingredient that gives it meaning must not be missing, whether cayenne, fresh red chili, in paste, ground, jalapeño, habanero or tabasco. Choose whichever you prefer, but make sure it's spicy!
This is the main secret of the dish, along with choosing a pasta like ridged penne or penne rigate, one of the most traditional short pastas in Italian recipes and among the most well-known worldwide. Because of its shape it is a pasta ideal to serve with this sauce thick, juicy, full of flavor and as spicy as you want. And to save time, we'll use the pressure cooker. With the Vitavit Premium de Fissler you'll see how cooking these penne all'arrabbiata takes less time than licking the plate.
Ingredients
- 400 g of penne rigate or penne
- 100 g of onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 fresh red chili or 1 tablespoon of red chili paste
- 1 large can of chopped tomatoes
- 30 g of concentrated tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
- 800 ml of vegetable broth
- AOVE
- Salt and black pepper (freshly ground) to taste
- Grated cheese (parmesan, pecorino or grana padano)
- A few fresh basil leaves
Preparation
- Put a splash of AOVE in your Vitavit Premium de Fissler pot and heat over medium heat.
- While the oil heats, clean and finely chop the onion and garlic.
- When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until golden.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Now add the red chili paste or the sliced chili, the teaspoon of sugar (if using), and the chopped tomatoes and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir everything so the ingredients and flavors mix well.
- Put the pasta and the vegetable broth in the pot, put on the lid, close it and increase the heat. Set the cooking to level 3.
- When you see the yellow ring appear, reduce the heat (roughly keep it at medium) and wait for the green ring to appear.
- As soon as the green ring appears, let it cook for 5 minutes, lowering the heat a little if necessary.
- After 5 minutes turn off the heat and depressurize the pot.
- Open the pot and serve the pasta, grate your favorite cheese on top and serve with a few fresh basil leaves.
