This is a real go-to recipe in our house. Working long hours as a chef, even though we work with food all day, we sometimes forget to eat. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. So this pasta can be knocked together in no time at all.
It’s a real crowd-pleaser and although the garlic might seem excessive, it becomes sweeter when it cooks. Trust me. For a dish this simple, using good ingredients really matters. Take care when you’re choosing your tinned tomatoes – the percentage of tomatoes in some of them can vary wildly, so make sure you’re not using a tin made up mostly of tomato juice.
You could use any pasta for this dish, but I tend to use dried spaghetti because it’s quick, easy and we always have some. For me, I love the heat of the chilli, but you can reduce the amount to suit your taste.
Stephen McAllister is the chef-proprietor of Spitalfields and The Pig’s Ear in Dublin
Stephen McAllister’s pasta al’arrabiata (pasta with a spicy tomato sauce)
Serves 4
Ingredients
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus an extra dash for cooking the pasta
2 medium-hot chillies, finely sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 handful of basil
1 can of good quality tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
400g of dried spaghetti, or any pasta
Parmesan shavings to serve
Method
1 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the chilli and garlic to the pan. After about five minutes, add the basil leaves and gently wilt them in the oil.
2 Add the chopped tomatoes to the frying pan.
3 Simmer for at least 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a little. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4 Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water with a dash of olive oil. Drain the pasta and add to the tomato sauce. Add a little of the pasta water to the sauce. Serve with shavings of Parmesan.
