Penne Arrabbiata-style spicy tomato pasta

Ingredients

• 400 g penne
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (adjust to taste)
• 1 × 400 g tin whole peeled tomatoes, blitzed
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt + black pepper
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Parmesan, grated (optional)

Method

1. Pasta. Boil penne in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water.
2. Aromatics. Heat olive oil. Add garlic + chilli flakes. Fry 1 minute — don’t burn the garlic.
3. Sauce. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened.
4. Combine. Toss drained pasta in the sauce. Add splashes of pasta water until the sauce clings.
5. Serve. With parsley + parmesan.

Tips

• Arrabbiata = angry. Don’t be shy with the chilli.
• Whole peeled tomatoes, blitzed. Better than passata here.
• Pasta water in the sauce. Starch binds the tomatoes to the pasta.