Foodstuff: Assassin’s Spaghetti

A few months ago, a friendly fellow with a delightful disposition and a knack for gleefully tap dancing through my consciousness (more often than I’d like to admit) resurfaced unexpectedly after a long hiatus and demanded some attention. One of the things we have in common is a passion for food and cooking, which we discuss ad nauseam, often in excruciating detail. I love it.

“I’m very interested in the recipe for spaghetti all’assassina,” he said as he looked across the table at me while we dined à deux at a sexy, new Aspen eatery. “You know, the one where you cook the pasta in the pan with the sauce?”

“Not interested,” I said, shoving a forkful of green papaya salad into my mouth. “It’s just not appealing to me.”

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Now, if I may be candid: I might not have been that curious about the recipe, per se, but this also could have been a bit of stonewalling toward this very persistent dinner companion.

I am, to say the least, skeptical. About the charred pasta and the dude.

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So, I decided to do some research. The Italian word assassina means “assassin” or “killer” in English. However, the name of this pasta dish doesn’t necessarily refer to a sharp-shooting bad boy. Some theories attribute the word to the spice level of the dish, and others interpret it as a colloquialism, as in “This dish is so good, it’s killer!”

The next week, this man, who once shot me straight through the heart, metaphorically speaking, popped over to cook this deadly pasta in my kitchen. It went rather well, despite his suggestion that we break the spaghetti in half to fit it into the pan, causing my Sicilian blood to boil and for me to shriek “NO” in the least appealing manner possible. I may not trust a gent who wants to bust up his noodles, but we had fun nonetheless.

This recipe from Giadzy is a great, easy dinner to cook together and portioned perfectly for two:

SPAGHETTI ALL’ASSASSINA (“ASSASSIN’S SPAGHETTI”)
Serves 2
1 1/2c marinara, divided*
1/4t kosher salt
1/4c olive oil, plus more to finish
1/2t red pepper flakes**
1/2 lb. spaghetti
Freshly-grated parmesan cheese, for serving

In a measuring cup, combine one cup of marinara with one cup of water and the salt. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet*** over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the hot pan along with the red pepper flakes and spaghetti. Using tongs or a wooden spoon, turn the pasta around in the spicy oil, toasting slightly, for about two minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of just marinara (not the marinara mixed with water) to the pasta and toss. cook, undisturbed, until beginning to caramelize, about two more minutes. Toss again, and repeat the process.

Add one cup of the marinara water mixture and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally until the liquid is almost entirely absorbed, the pasta is softening, and the sauce is beginning to caramelize****, about five minutes. Listen to your pasta; the sound will change from a boiling sound to a frying sound. Toss well, bringing the toasted pasta up from the bottom of the pan to the top. Add another cup of marinara water and repeat the process. Add another 1/2 cup water and stir to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the pasta to fry until deeply-caramelized in spots, another four minutes.

Serve the pasta topped with lots of freshly-grated parmesan cheese.

COOK’S NOTES:

*Why stress yourself out? Use jarred sauce to keep things easy (I like Rao’s, available anywhere).

**I would use more red pepper flakes next time. This was fairly mild.

***Upon researching further, I discovered a cast-iron pan is optimal for this recipe, which we didn’t use, but I would try it when making this again.

****I didn’t caramelize this enough. My dinner date gently suggested turning up the heat, and he was rebuffed with extreme prejudice. If he’s reading this: You were right, man.

While I don’t recommend getting caught in the crosshairs of a sweet-talking charmer (romance can be a real killer), the pasta got better and better the longer it sat over our meal. So maybe, just maybe, like Assassin’s Spaghetti, I’ll give it some time.

Katherine Roberts is a mid-Valley-based writer and marketing professional who never considered herself a hopeless romantic, but she does enjoy a great dinner date. She can be reached at robertskatherine@gmail.com.