Assassins Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 cups salted water

• 10 cups water

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped 

• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

• 3/4 cup tomato puree, divided

• 12 ounces uncooked bucatini or other long spaghetti*

• High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Pecorino Romano for topping.

Preparation

1. 1. Pour 8 cups salted water into a large pot; bring to a boil over medium-high. Par boil the pasta for 5 minutes and drain. * If using long pasta other than bucatini you may need to adjust cooking time down slightly. 

   2. Pour 10 cups water into the large pot; bring to a boil over medium-high. Whisk tomato paste and salt into boiling water; reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer.

   3. Heat a large deep sided enameled cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven (at least 12 inches or wider) over medium. Add oil, and heat until oil shimmers, about 30 seconds. Add garlic and chili flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in half of the tomato puree, and increase heat to medium-high. Spread spaghetti over mixture in skillet, trying to get as much spaghetti in contact with skillet as possible. Pour remaining tomato puree over spaghetti. Cook noodles in tomato puree mixture, undisturbed, until starting to soften and become pliable, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula or tongs, lift noodles to check that they are in contact with skillet to make sure they’re getting crispy; if needed, spread and separate noodles more on bottom of skillet to keep in direct contact with skillet. Continue cooking 2 minutes. Move noodles around using tongs to allow other noodles to make contact with skillet.

   4. Add about a cup of simmering tomato water to spaghetti mixture in skillet. Cook until noodles are al dente, 6 to 8 minutes, adding more tomato water, 1 ladleful at a time, when previous addition of tomato water has been absorbed by noodles adding more (2 to 3 cups tomato water total). Very similar to how risotto is cooked.

   5. As mixture cooks, keep an eye on the noodles and the liquid content in skillet. To ensure the noodles keep those crispy bits, do not cover them with the broth. Add more broth only as needed once noodles have soaked up what was previously ladled. The red hues of the tomato sauce will brown. 

   6. Taste spaghetti and sauce; add additional salt to taste, if desired. Using kitchen tongs, swirl spaghetti noodles inside your serving bowl, creating a tight swirl of noodles. Finish with a drizzle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped parsley and pecorino romano.

Adapted from a Food and Wine Recipe

Urban Cowgill
April 2024