(Spicy Charred Pasta)

Spaghetti all’Assassina, or “Assassin’s Spaghetti” shows that sometimes it pays to break the rules! This Southern Italian favorite cooks the spaghetti right in a spicy tomato sauce until it’s crispy, singed, and totally irresistible.

Nicholas Antonacci, a Bari-based maître-sommelier and chef by trade who in 1981, at just sixteen years old, was promoted to demi chef at Il Sorso Preferito, offers a slightly different version of events. He recounts how an angry spaghetti all’arrabbiata slowly evolved into a killer spaghetti all’assassina.

Initially serving chilled meats and cheeses, Antonacci explains how chef and owner Enzo Francavilla gradually introduced hot dishes in response to popular demand, including a fiery spaghetti all’arrabbiata. With time, the well-used iron pans used to cook the arrabbiata sauce began to yield a charred, caramelised crust adding new depth to the dish. “This is a killer!”, declared one diner—and spaghetti all’assassina was born.

By the late 1970s, the restaurant passed into new hands: maître d’s Giuseppe Saracino and Mimì De Cosmo, alongside chef Gaetano “Nanuccio” Lonigro. The trio would go on to acquire another of the city’s landmark restaurants, Marc’Aurelio, later bringing in Pierino Lonigro—Nanuccio’s brother and a skilled chef in his own right. It was during this period spaghetti all’assassina made the leap from off-menu curiosity to a fully fledged first course.

Antonacci notes that many chefs who passed through Il Sorso Preferito and its sister restaurant Marc’Aurelio took fragments of the assassina story with them—recipes adapted, origins forgotten, and in some cases, credit claimed.

Today, Il Sorso Preferito remains in the ownership of Pierino Lonigro who, with his nephew Vincenzo in the kitchen, is still serving up the dish.

Assassina | the risottatura “error”​

I burnt the garlic in an iron pan with oil and chilli—not just browned, but burnt—and then removed it.

Into the boiling oil, I poured raw, hand-crushed peeled tomatoes, causing a flare-up. That flare-up was the ‘joy of the kitchen,’ which I immediately covered with a lid. The resulting smoke remained inside, imparting a smoky flavour to the spaghetti, as if they were burnt, but they were actually roasted.

Meanwhile, I brought water and salt to the boil and cooked the spaghetti—actually vermicelli—until just before al dente, when they began to bend. I drained them well and added them to the pan with the tomato to absorb the flavours. I stirred continuously, adding more raw, crushed tomatoes if they became too dry, and continued cooking until the pasta was done and the tomato had thickened. I tasted them to check the cooking, flavour, and salt, then gave them a superficial toasting. I finished by adding a little oil to give them a sheen, and my recipe was complete.

Assassin’s Spaghetti proves that sometimes letting things burn is the best way to develop the flavor.  They wouldn’t be quite the same without that brave first person who let them burn!

How to Make Spaghetti all’Assassina 

I think it goes without saying that you don’t have to be a professional chef to make Assassin’s Spaghetti. You’re trying to burn it after all! But it does take a little faith to avoid fussing with it too much. Here are the steps:

Make a tomato broth. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat, then stir in 1/4 cup tomato paste and season generously with salt. Turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the burner.

Prepare the tomato sauce. Set a wide, deep skillet (large enough to lay the spaghetti in it without breaking) over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add 2 sliced chili peppers and 2 minced garlic cloves. Cook, stirring regularly until fragrant, no more than 30 seconds. Add 16 ounces of tomato sauce to the skillet (not the tomato broth you made earlier, we’ll use that in a minute). Bring the sauce to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Slighly burn the spaghetti. Place the (uncooked) spaghetti in the skillet with the hot chili and oil and garlic

Coat the spaghetti. Place 12 ounces (uncooked) spaghetti in the skillet with the hot chili and tomato sauce. Use a large spoon to spread the spaghetti in one layer, pushing down and spooning the sauce over the top so the noodles are well-coated. Turn the heat to high and let it sit until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce, about 3 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti. When the pan starts to look dry, add a ladleful of the warmed tomato broth. Do not move or toss the pasta, as it is meant to absorb the tomato broth and char some of the noodles at the bottom. Once the majority of the broth has been absorbed, add another ladle or two of the tomato broth over the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Continue to ladle the tomato broth over the pasta, letting it absorb the broth before each new addition.

Flip. When you’ve used about half the broth, use tongs to turn the spaghetti over. You should see dark, almost burnt-looking crispy pieces. Continue ladling in the broth and allowing the spaghetti to absorb and char until you’ve used all of the broth.

Finish and serve. Remove from heat and transfer to pasta bowls. Serve immediately, with a spoonful of burrata on top if you’d like.

Perfect Homemade Lasagna Recipe

Sicilian Tested! Only the best Italian can be posted

Homemade lasagna may have a few steps, but each step is easy – and I assure you it’s worth the time; the perfect Italian meal!

The best lasagna recipe is made with ingredients that you know, and it’s not difficult at all! All you’ll need for this easy lasagna recipe is one pan, one bowl, and a 9×13 baking dish!

Lasagna Ingredients

Instructions

• Cheese Filling: For this classic lasagna recipe, the filling contains ricotta and parmesan with seasonings and a couple of tablespoons of parsley. No ricotta? No problem, cottage cheese works just fine in this recipe!
• Meat: I use both Italian sausage and ground beef for great flavor. If using all beef, add a ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds and some Italian seasoning to the meat mixture for flavor, don’t forget to add 1-2 cloves of garlic.
• Sauce: To keep this sauce quick, I use pasta sauce or marinara sauce (it’s easy to make from scratch with crushed tomatoes and canned tomatoes if you’d prefer).

How to Make Lasagna

Homemade lasagna may have a few steps, but each step is easy – and I assure you it’s worth the time; the perfect Italian meal! This is a really easy lasagna recipe.

How to Layer Lasagna

1. Spread about a cup of meat sauce into a 9×13 pan. Add a layer of noodles.
2. Top the noodles with some of the ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of noodles and sauce

Once you have prepared the meat sauce and the cheese mixture, you’re ready to layer. This is the order of layers:

• sauce – noodles – cheese
• sauce – noodles – cheese
• sauce – noodles – cheese
• noodles – sauce (bake) – cheese

How Long to Bake

Bake this lasagna recipe for a total of one hour. To get a perfect browned cheese topping, you’ll need to bake it in two stages.

1. Layer and cover it tightly with aluminum foil to retain the moisture.
2. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil
3. Once cooked, and heated through, remove the foil, top with cheese, and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is browned and the lasagna is bubbling.

Important: Let the Lasagna Rest

Let the lasagna sit/rest for at least 15 minutes once removed from the oven (even 30-45 minutes is fine). This will keep it from becoming runny and help it to keep its shape when cut. Resting is not required when reheating.

Ingredients

Instructions

Serve with a big slice of Homemade Garlic Bread and garnish with fresh basil or a couple of tablespoons of parsley.

Finish the meal with a Caesar salad or Italian salad.

Make Ahead

Lasagna can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. It can also be frozen before or after baking.

To Freeze Lasagna

Lasagna is one of the best meals to make ahead and freeze. Double or triple the recipe and store it tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. If the lasagna is cold from the fridge, it may need an extra 20 minutes or so of cooking time.

How To Reheat Lasagna

If you’ve frozen leftovers, pop them in the oven at 350°F covered until reheated. This should take about 30 minutes! Of course, leftovers are perfectly heated in the microwave too!

Notes

Nutrition Information