We’ve all cringed watching “recipes” on #foodtok as influencers add raw pasta to a slow-cooker full of pasta sauce, silently screaming that Nonna would be turning in her grave. But what if we told you that this technique of cooking spaghetti in your tomato sauce is not only authentico, it’s actually molto bene?

Spaghetti all’assassina – assassin’s spaghetti – hails from Bari, a region in Italy’s Puglia, and is largely credited to chef Enzo Francavilla of Bari restaurant, Al Sorso Preferito.

Some would argue the pasta dish would be better classified as a risotto, as they’re cooked in a similar style – passata is slowly added to raw pasta which absorbs the liquid while also caramelising on the bottom of the pan. Slightly crunchy and served dry – rather than saucy – the pasta dish has garnered a cult-like popularity in its home town.

The slightly threatening title of spaghetti all’assassina doesn’t actually refer to shady occupations or waste management, rather it’s a colloquial exclamation akin to “you absolutely killed it!”

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The legend of the killer pasta came to light in a 2018 interview between Francavilla and journalist and historian Sandro Romano. Francavilla claims that on a fateful night in 1967, two guests from Northern Italy requested something good and substantial to eat. “So I invented a plate of spaghetti with a tomato sauce and a generous dose of chilli, prepared directly in the iron pan, making the sauce tighten well and thus creating a tasty external crust.”

“Sei un assassina” (“you are a killer”) was the customer’s response and a star was born.

Whether time or bravado have taken their toll, former employee of Francavilla, Nicholas Antonacci says that the dish isn’t quite what the inventor has made it out to be. Antonacci’s recollection leans more towards the happy accident element of cooking. Al Sorso Preferito served mostly cold cuts, cheese, and wine, but guests requested a small number of hot dishes, including spaghetti all’arrabbiata with tomato and a healthy dose of chilli flakes.

As time marched on, and thanks to the kitchen’s well-seasoned iron pans, the pasta often ended up with a crust which the guests couldn’t get enough of. Fiery arrabbiata became textural assassina, the rest is history.

How to make spaghetti al’assassina

Ingredients

6 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
500ml tomato passata
500g spaghetti
Salt to taste

Method

1. Bring 500ml of passata and 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.
2. Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan, long enough to accommodate the full length of the spaghetti. Add the chilli flakes and garlic to the oil, and fry for about 1 minute before adding the raw spaghetti.
3. One ladle at a time, add tomato broth to the spaghetti, and cook on medium heat until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat the process until the pasta is al dente and starts to brown in the pan.
4. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

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