Pasta all’Arrabiata

(The spelling of the title of this recipe has been amended under instruction from The Real Nick . I hope now that it passes muster.)

This is another fantastically easy and incredibly quick recipe, especially if you have done what I have suggested and have bags of tomato sauce in the freezer. You have, haven’t you?

A spicy, tomato-ey, herby bowl of pasta, big pile of parmesan shavings and a big glass of red wine; just heavenly!

You can play around with this recipe I often add pancetta but adding good quality pork sausages (chopped up before cooking) is also great. How about a spicy fishy stew? Add a couple of anchovy fillets with the onions and garlic, and then add some cooked prawns at the end.

You will need:

1 portion of basic tomato sauce
360g penne pasta
1 large onion chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 Thai red chilli chopped fine. Or more if you like
100g pancetta cubes (optional)
Small handful of fresh basil, torn into big shreds
Pinch of dried oregano
Fresh leaf parsley, chopped fine. For garnish
Parmesan cheese


And then you need to:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook per instructions, but probably for about ten minutes.

In a large pan over a low heat gently fry onions, garlic and chilli (and pancetta if using) in about 1 tbsp EV olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the basil leaves. Cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent but not coloured.

Add the basic tomato sauce and the dried oregano and heat through.

When the pasta is cooked drain it in a colander and then tip the pasta into the pan with the sauce. Stir to make sure it is all coated and spoon into four bowls. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, a good grind of fresh black pepper and serve with a small bowl of freshly grated parmesan cheese.