Penne all?Arrabbiata

I got introduced to Penne all’Arrabbiata a few years ago at an Italian restaurant I visited with a few friends. The dish did not sound fancy, so I went for something that sounded fancier LOL while a friend got this. I must say that I wished I had gotten this instead because though it sounded like a basic pasta dish, it had SO much flavour and was just yummy!This restaurant had an option of adding some meat or veggies for an extra cost, and she went in for the chicken.

We recently went away for a trip and after getting back, we needed a couple of days to recover. However, that didn’t mean I could take time off from the kitchen too ~ so I thought for a while and voila decided on Penne all’Arrabbiata. Thankfully I had ALL the ingredients, so I marched into the kitchen and made this dish in a few mins.

Traditionally, Penne Rigate (small ridged tubes cut diagonally at the ends) is used for this dish but I am sure you could use other kinds, however if you want to stick to the classic recipe – get some penne! The literal meaning of the name means ANGRY PASTA, because it is served very hot and dressed with abundant hot red pepper.

Ingredients:

Cook the pasta as per the directions until al dente.

Fry the onions, garlic and chillies in some olive oil. If you are using chicken or any kind of meat, I would toss it in now, if not continue to the next step.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook on high heat. When the tomatoes start to get soft and mushy and begin to ooze out liquid, turn the heat to low so that it forms a sauce.

When the sauce is ready, toss in the cooked penne, and mix well so that the sauce coats the pasta really well. I saved some pasta water and added it in.

Add the required amount of salt and pepper and the basil or parsley.

Sprinkle some grated parmesan to garnish

SERVE HOT!