Recipe: Assassin's Spaghetti

Assassin’s spaghetti is one of Puglia’s most famous dishes, coming out of the city of Bari. It’s a simple recipe to make and takes around half an hour to cook. However, it’s not for the faint of heart… as the name suggests, this dish packs more of a kick than your classic spag bol. This is partly why the dish pairs so well with the Copper Crew’s Negroamaro, the smooth and silky nature of the red wine combats the fiery flavours of the spaghetti. So if you think you can handle the heat, grab a can and get cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• tomato puree
• spaghetti
• chilli flakes
• olive oil
• garlic cloves
• salt
• parsley or other herbs, to garnish

Start by heating up a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot, before adding around 2 cloves worth of minced garlic. Once the garlic has turned a golden brown, add in a jar of tomato puree and an equal amount of water, to give it a thin and saucy texture. a bit of basil and a large pinch of salt can also be added for extra flavour. You have now made your tomato broth, and can leave it on a low heat on the side.

Next, you’re going to want a large pan over a relatively high heat. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into your pan, nearly enough to cover it, before adding an even more generous amount of chilli flakes. This is where you can slightly alter the dish to match your preference for heat, the more chilli, the closer to an authentic assassin’s spaghetti! Once your chilli flakes and oil start to sizzle, throw in your portion of spaghetti, and toss until it is covered in your chilli oil sauce.

Once you’ve covered your spaghetti, your going to start adding your tomato broth bit by bit, first add just enough to cover the spaghetti, but ensure to keep the spaghetti in a straight line and to not break any pieces! After a few minutes, most the broth will have either evaporated or been absorbed, at which point you turn over the spaghetti (not too delicately or precisely) and add let the spaghetti slightly char in places into a crispy brown or black, depending on your preference. After this, you can add a bit more broth, slightly less than the first time, give it a good mix and repeat the charring process.

The pasta should take around 20-25 minutes to cook properly, after which you can serve up your pasta, drizzle some olive oil, chilli fakes and parsley (or other herb) over the top if you wish, grab a can of Negroamaro and enjoy!