Spaghetti all’Assassina
Spaghetti cooked in spicy tomato until lightly charred
Bari’s spaghetti all’assassina cooked directly in a broad iron pan with tomato, garlic and chilli, developing a deliberate crisp surface.
Bari, Puglia
The regional version.
Bari’s pan-cooked, chilli-and-tomato spaghetti with controlled toasting; plain spaghetti with a toasted surface.
- Dry spaghetti cook directly in the tomato pan, without pre-boiling.
- Garlic and chilli flavour a concentrated tomato coating.
- Controlled contact with a hot pan creates the characteristic crisp, lightly charred patches.
Technique: spaghetti cooked in spicy tomato until lightly charred
Choose a wide pan and manage heat carefully. The defining texture is toasted and crisp, not bitter from blackened tomato. Add water incrementally as the strands soften.
The recipe
Spaghetti all’Assassina
Ingredients
Main
Method
- 1
Heat water in a small pot and keep hot. Use a seasoned iron or heavy steel pan wide enough for unbroken spaghetti.
- 2
Warm oil with garlic and chilli, then add cherry tomatoes and passata and cook for a few minutes.
- 3
Lay dry spaghetti into the sauce. Leave briefly so the underside takes colour, then turn the strands carefully.
- 4
Add hot water a ladle at a time as the sauce is absorbed, moving strands enough to cook evenly without constant stirring.
- 5
Continue for about 15–20 minutes until pasta is tender, allowing contact with the pan between additions to create crisp reddish patches.
- 6
Stop before the sauce burns black. Adjust salt and serve immediately, keeping the slightly charred strands intact.
The version on this page
Bari’s pan-cooked, chilli-and-tomato spaghetti with controlled toasting; plain spaghetti with a toasted surface.
- Dry spaghetti cook directly in the tomato pan, without pre-boiling.
- Garlic and chilli flavour a concentrated tomato coating.
- Controlled contact with a hot pan creates the characteristic crisp, lightly charred patches.
Cooking it well
Choose a wide pan and manage heat carefully. The defining texture is toasted and crisp, not bitter from blackened tomato. Add water incrementally as the strands soften.
Serving and planning
Serve immediately without a cheese sauce. This is a specific Bari technique, not ordinary spaghetti topped with chilli tomato sauce.
Explore the Italian regional cooking guide for related dishes and pantry notes.
Storage
Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly in a covered container and use within 3 days.
Freezing
Freeze cooked portions for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Fresh pasta, vegetables and cheese can soften after thawing.
Reheating
Reheat only the portion required until piping hot throughout. Add a little water if the sauce has thickened.
Keep cooking
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