Penne all'arrabbiata with fagioli all'olio

pareve Italian · easy · 35 min, including 20 hands-on

A concentrated, rich and glossy Roman sauce: garlic and peperoncino infused in oil, reduced peeled tomatoes, penne finished in the sauce and a final drizzle of uncooked oil. Alongside on the same plate, warm cannellini sautéed with garlic and rosemary, finished with lemon and parsley.

Ingredients for two

Method

1. Start by bringing 2.5 litres of water to the boil in the covered 4-litre saucepan. Meanwhile, crush the tomatoes by hand in a bowl, removing any tough stalk cores and keeping all the juice. Slice 3 garlic cloves 1 mm thick and crush the fourth with the flat of a knife. Chop the parsley, then rinse and drain the beans.
2. Put 30 g oil, the sliced garlic and chilli flakes in the cold 28 cm sauté pan. Heat gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the oil turns orange and the garlic pale golden, without browning. Add the tomatoes and 3 g salt, increase to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 18–20 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes, until dark red, glossy and leaving a trail under the spoon. If it catches or becomes pasty before then, lower the heat and loosen with 50 g pasta water; it should coat a spoon, not be dry.
3. Meanwhile, gently heat 10 g oil in the small frying pan with the crushed garlic clove and rosemary for 1 minute, until the garlic sizzles and flavours the oil. Add the drained beans, 1 g salt and 2 tbsp water. Warm over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until the beans are hot and the water has almost gone. Turn off, remove the garlic and rosemary, add the juice of the quarter lemon and half the parsley, then cover to keep warm. Salt the boiling water with 25 g coarse salt, or 10 g per litre.
4. Once the sauce has cooked for 10 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes less than the packet time, usually 9–10 minutes. Taste one: the centre should still be firm and white, as it will finish in the sauce. Reserve 200 g cooking water, then drain without rinsing.
5. Add the penne to the sauce with 80 g pasta water and cook over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring, so the sauce fills the ridges and the pasta finishes softening. If the base dries, add reserved water by the spoonful. Taste and adjust the salt. Turn off, add 10 g uncooked oil and the remaining parsley, and mix. Serve immediately in shallow bowls, with the warm beans beside the penne.

On your plate

Cooking tips

Make the sauce the day before if you like, but cook the penne at the last moment. Avoid sugar: good peeled tomatoes and 15–20 minutes of reduction, depending on pan width, are enough. Start garlic and chilli in cold oil; slow infusion gives arrabbiata its orange colour and rounded heat. Parsley preserves the Roman character of this cheese-free version; for a dairy dinner with caprese, serve 40 g grated pecorino romano at the table. Eat the warm fagioli all'olio by the spoonful between bites of penne; leftover beans make bruschetta the next day.

Equipment : 4-litre saucepan, 28 cm sauté pan, small 20 cm frying pan with a lid, colander

Roman cooking: penne all'arrabbiata with garlic, chilli and parsley, with fagioli all'olio con aglio e rosmarino, a classic central Italian side dish.