Killer Pasta GastronomyCo

by Isabella Rodriguez

“My way of cooking pasta would probably send an Italian to the ER.”: A phrase I’ve heard way too many times during my time at UCU. Indeed, many students on this campus put all their creativity into their dinners instead of their essays. Hopefully, this Italian recipe might inspire some innovations in cooking pasta.

When I first heard about Spaghetti all’ Assassina, I was intrigued. Burnt pasta? It challenged everything I knew about Italian cooking. Originally from Bari, Italy, this dish chars pasta using a cast iron, giving the dish a smokey flavor. There are many stories behind its name. Some say that the chef that created the dish was a killer, others say it was made out of an accident. Regardless, it is a stunning dish with simple ingredients which makes this bizarre recipe perfect for UCU students.

Here's how you make it:

1. In a medium pot, add 1½ cups of tomato sauce and ¾ cups of water. Stir until it becomes homogenous.

2. In a saucepan, heat up some olive oil. Make sure the whole pan is covered.

3. In the same pan, add as much red chili flakes and garlic as your heart desires. Once it is beginning to brown, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir until fragrant.

4. Using a ladle (or a big spoon), add some of the tomato mixture into the pan and combine with the other ingredients.

5. Now, carefully place 300g of spaghetti on top of the sauce. There should not be a lot of liquid, but just enough so that the pasta is almost covered. As the sauce begins to boil you can use a fork to move around the pasta.

6. Allow for almost all the liquid to evaporate. Here is where the pasta will “burn”. Once you can’t see any more liquid, add another ladle of the tomato mixture and continue the same process until al dente. Use a fork or spatula to move the pasta after each ladle.

7. Between each ladle, let the pasta sit in the pan and caramelize. You will hear crackling and sizzling. Here you can calculate how much “burnt” you actually want.

8. After around 10 minutes, the pasta should be al dente! Serve with Parmigiano cheese and enjoy!

PS: GastronomyCo claims no responsibility for your extremely burnt pasta or damaged pan.