Ingredients
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320 g Spaghetti
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150 g Tomato puree
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1 tube Tomato paste
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3 Chili pepperdry
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Extra virgin olive oil
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Salt
Directions
Spaghetti all’assassina (Murder spaghetti) is a first course of Apulian cuisine, specifically from Bari. A scorched and spicy pasta, very particular, which seems to be named so precisely because of its spiciness: two customers of the restaurant where it was invented in the late 1960s, in fact, allegedly said to the owner Enzo Francavilla “You are a murderer,” for that dish so good but so hot.
The dish consists of very few and simple ingredients. The special feature is the method of cooking the pasta: the spaghetti cooks raw in a pan with a little sauce and wet with a minimal broth made with tomato paste. Their main characteristic is that they stick to the bottom of the pan (which should be made of iron to achieve this effect): the result is therefore a burnt, crispy, red-brown colored pasta.
Over the course of a few decades, these spaghetti have become a symbol of the city of Bari, as well as a true pop icon, thanks to their appearance both in cult Italian novels such as those by Gabriella Genisi (one of which is titled precisely Spaghetti all’assassina) that recount the adventures of Commissioner Lolita Lobosco.
But also in television: the character of Lolita Lobosco, in fact, from the pages of books came to TV, played by actress Luisa Ranieri, who in an episode aired in March 2021 bites into these spaghetti. And from there came a new interest in this recipe that looks easy, but is not.
Here is the recipe. As always, if you liked the recipe, please comment! Your opinions give us the motivation we need to keep posting new recipes!
Steps
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1
Done
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To prepare spaghetti all'assassina as first thing, devote yourself to the broth. Boil the tomato paste and salt in plenty of water. In an iron skillet, brown the garlic cloves and chopped dried chili pepper in oil. Add the tomato puree and stir. Add salt to taste. |
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2
Done
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At this point add the raw spaghetti: move them around slightly with the help of a wooden fork or spatula so that they season. And let them stick to the bottom of the pan: once you feel that they have stuck, add a ladle of broth and continue cooking. |
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3
Done
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When the broth has been absorbed, add another ladleful, turn the noodle so that the part that was previously on top lies on the bottom, and continue cooking. Proceed in this way until cooked through. Be careful, however, not to move the noodles around too much: of course they should not burn, but the secret is to make the noodles stick to the pan evenly so that they take on a crispy texture and a brown color. This part is pretty hard to achieve. |
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4
Done
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After about 15 minutes, the spaghetti all'assassina is ready to be served on the table. |
