Assassin's Spaghetti
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Spaghetti all'Assassina, or Assassin's Spaghetti, is a simple dish of Italian style pasta that breaks all the rules, as you'll see here. The story behind the name of this pasta comes from Italian folklore, of course, because there seems to be a story about the origin of every popular dish. The story goes that a drunk cook in Italy accidentally burned the pasta, and it was served to the guest, who was of course a noble woman. When she tried it, the flavor was so intense she asked the cook, "Are you trying to kill me?" And thus was this dish given its unforgettable name.
I have to say, I was amazed at the intense flavor of this pasta, which is miles away from the sweet taste you usually get when you boil pasta and then drown it in sauce. It's not hard to make, but it does require a little patience. However, if you're brave enough to give this a try yourself, you'll certainly agree that this was worth the effort. And I can also say I survived this assassination attempt, and I'll gladly serve it to any guests who come to visit.
Pans needed: A 3-quart saucepan, or larger, or dutch oven to prepare the tomato broth. To cook the pasta, a large skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, is needed. A 12 inch skillet is needed, to ensure you can place the spaghetti into the pan without breaking it.
This recipe requires two separate servings of minced garlic. Chop and minuce about four cloves of garlic, then separate into two parts.
Before making the pasta, prepare the tomato broth. That's nothing more than adding a teaspoon of olive oil to your saucepot, and sautéeing the first part of the minced garlic until it begins to brown. (Be sure not to burn the garlic!) At this point, add a large can of tomato purée. Mix in a little salt and pepper, then fill the tomato can with water and mix it in. Bring it to a simmer, and the tomato broth is ready. Keep the heat on low as the cast iron pan is prepared.
While the tomato broth is being prepared, place a large cast iron skillet on the stovetop, and heat it at medium for about five minutes.
The difference between this recipe and most pasta dishes is we're not boiling the pasta. Instead, we add a lot of olive oil to the pan, about a quarter cup, and wait about a minute for the oil to heat up. When the oil is hot, add one to two teaspoons of red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you want the pasta to be. Stir the red pepper flakes in the hot oil so they don't burn. Next add the second part of the minced garlic, and stir it for about thirty seconds to cook the garlic as well.
Place the uncooked spaghetti into the pan, and stir it so the pasta is completely coated with the hot oil. The pasta will very quickly begin to soften, though it won't be completely flexible and al dente yet. Begin adding the tomato broth to the pan at this point. Ladle at least a cup of the simmering tomato broth into the pan, and begin stirring everything around to cook the pasta. The tomato broth will reduce as the water in the broth evaporates.
Here's the unique part of this process: it's okay to burn the pasta! Yes, that's what I said. Keep stirring the pasta. The pasta will begin to caramelize as the liquid evaporates, turning a dark color with parts that look burned. When it reaches this point, scoop in more tomato broth, and repeat the process over and over. Stir the pasta in the broth and keep cooking it, so the pasta develops an amazing, intense flavor. The caramelized parts of the pasta should be especially coated in the broth as you stir it around.
The pasta will eventually soften and become al dente. It will probably take about twice as long to cook the pasta in this manner, as opposed to the usual method of simply boiling the pasta. That means if it takes about ten minutes to boil the pasta, it will probably take twenty minutes, or a little longer, to stir-fry the pasta in the tomato broth, adding scoops of the broth and letting the broth reduce. The pasta will turn a very dark blood-red color as it cooks. Finally, when the pasta is al dente, it is ready to be served.
The spaghetti can be plated and served without adding more sauce, because it will already be saturated in the cooked tomato broth. You can top the plated spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese, as well as other toppings that you may want on spaghetti. The intense flavor of the pasta does not have to be drowned in extra sauce and toppings.
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