Last week we came home, after a 7-hour drive from Bristol to Glasgow and 5 days spent in Glastonbury. Needless to say, we were tired though very very happy. I had picked up that weekend’s issue of The Guardian’s Feast which provided me with the inspiration I needed for a quick dinner on our way home. We also saw some really nice looking heritage tomatoes in a farm shop on our way, so when I saw Rachel Roddy’s Penne all’arrabbiata in her regular Feast column, I knew it would be our perfect meal when we get back after the long drive. Sometimes, a simple pasta recipe is all you need when the sun is shining! I had run out of penne so I’ve used fusilli instead, however, I would still say – go penne all the way!

Rachel’s recipe in the guardian is for four, but perhaps more indulgently I mixed my tomato sauce with pasta for two people and it worked perfectly.

More in pasta: Prawn and ‘Nduja Linguine | Spaghetti Carbonara | Tagliatelle with roast tomato and ‘nduja sauce

Rachel Roddy’s Penne all’arrabbiata

Serves 2 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 15 mins
Easy | Vegan | Dairy-Free

Penne-alla-arrabbiata-2

You’ll need

  • 6 tbsp olive oil;
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed;
  • 700g peeled and chopped tomatoes (see tip below);
  • 3 dried red chillies, crumbled;
  • 200-300g penne;
  • 1-2 tbsps chopped parsley, to serve;
  • (optional: grated parmesan/or vegetarian alternative, to serve – for a vegetarian/non-dairy-free option)

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and the garlic cloves. Fry for a couple of seconds and then add the tomatoes, a good pinch of salt and the red chillies. Cook covered for 10 minutes, then take the lid off and cook for 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, make the pasta following the pack instructions. Drain the pasta and mix through the sauce when it’s ready, along with a final swirl of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped parsley. I grated some parmesan over mine too.

Tip: To peel the tomatoes with ease, soak them in just-boiled water for a minute or so. Then carefully start peeling the skin away, it should be a lot easier! If it isn’t, leave the tomatoes for another minute in the hot water and try again.

Original recipe from Feast magazine, available online here.