TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Spaghetti all'AssassinaSpaghetti all’Assassina
A singular cooking method born in Bari: dried spaghetti goes straight into the frying pan without boiling and is cooked by adding tomato sauce and boiling water little by little. Deliberate scorching gives this “killer” pasta a crisp exterior and a resilient center. The correct heat is high enough to make the pan smoke.
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Ingredients (2 servings)
- Dried spaghetti1.8–2.0 mm thick. Thinner pasta scorches too quickly. Do not boil.160 g
- Double-concentrated tomato paste60 g
- Tomato passata200 ml
- GarlicThinly sliced. Leave in the pan after infusing the oil.3 cloves
- Dried red chiliesCrumble finely by hand. Assassina needs heat, so do not omit.2 chilies
- Extra virgin olive oil60 ml
- Boiling waterKeep in a pot at a constant boil. Do not use room-temperature water.400 ml
- SaltFor seasoning the tomato sauce.5 g
Method
Make the tomato sauce
- 1 Mix 200 ml passata and 60 g tomato paste thoroughly in a small saucepan, add 1/2 tsp salt and reduce over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- 2 Once the sauce is fairly thick, turn off the heat and set aside.
- 3 MeanwhileAt the same time, prepare 400 ml boiling water in a pot and keep it boiling.
Prepare the garlic and chilies
- 1 Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves.
- 2 Crumble 2 red chilies by hand.
Infuse the oil with garlic
- 1 Pour 60 ml extra virgin olive oil into a 28 cm iron or heavy stainless-steel frying pan and heat over high heat until smoking, about 2–3 minutes.
- 2 Add the sliced garlic and crumbled red chilies and fry for 30–40 seconds, until the garlic is lightly colored and fragrant.
Fry the dry spaghetti in oil
- 1 Add the spaghetti while still dry and fry over high heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute, spreading it with chopsticks or tongs.
Caution
Proceed when the spaghetti is coated in oil and some strands are lightly colored; this scorching is normal and intentional.
Let the pasta absorb sauce and water
- 1 Pour 1/3 of the tomato sauce, about 80 ml, over the spaghetti.
- 2 Keep the heat high and constantly move the spaghetti with tongs as it absorbs the sauce.
- 3 When almost all the liquid has been absorbed, after about 2–3 minutes, ladle in 80–100 ml boiling water.
- 4 Continue frying until it is absorbed again.
Ready when
Repeat this cycle of sauce, absorption, boiling water and absorption until the spaghetti is al dente: 4–5 cycles and 12–15 minutes in total.
Coat with the remaining sauce
- 1 Add the remaining tomato sauce and toss over high heat for a final 1 minute to coat all the pasta.
Caution
Aim for spaghetti with a slightly firm center and brown scorched spots on the surface.
Plate
- 1 Transfer to plates.
- 2 Do not add extra oil to finish; keep the presentation simple.
About this dish
Spaghetti all’assassina translates as “killer spaghetti,” but this does not mean the pasta kills the cook. It describes the very high heat and scorching that “finish off” the pasta. Long prepared in the trattorias of Bari in Puglia, the dish was officially registered as a traditional Bari dish by the Bari Chamber of Commerce in 2013.
Its cooking method is unique among the world’s pasta dishes. The dried spaghetti is not boiled: an iron frying pan is heated until smoking and the dry pasta is added directly. Tomato sauce and boiling water are then added gradually as it fries and simmers, an approach closer to cooking risotto or paella. The pasta scorches, develops brown patches and combines crisp areas with springy ones.
That scorching is a sign of completion rather than failure.
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