Puglia’s “Killer” Spaghetti  

A few notes and changes from me from a recipe adapted by Stefania Leo 

Ingredients 

• 16 ounces of spaghetti 
• 24.5 oz jar of tomato puree
• 1/2 of a 4.5-ounce tube of tomato paste 
• Around 4 cups of water
• About a 3/4 of a cup of Olive Oil 
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 peeled and left whole, and 1 minced
• Red pepper flakes 
• Calabrian chili paste 
• Salt
• Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

Directions  

1. Start by making your tomato broth. I added most of the jar of tomato puree (reserving a little to pour directly on the pasta in a little bit), the tomato paste, and about 4 cups of water (you can always add more water later if you need to cook the pasta) to a small pot. Taste and add as much salt as it needs to taste good. Keep the broth on low heat so that it stays hot as you’re adding it to the pasta. 
2. In a large cast iron or skillet over medium heat, add the Olive oil and two whole cloves of garlic and cook until golden brown. Remove and discard the garlic. Add as much red pepper flakes as you like and then add the minced garlic and stir for a minute. Stir in the reserved tomato puree and let it simmer and reduce. 
3. Now add the pasta and move it around so it is coated in the oil and tomato. Let it sit without stirring until it starts to caramelize but not burn. 
4. Move the pasta around a bit so all the noodles have a chance to caramelize and add about two full ladles of the tomato broth. Here’s a tip from the experts! “The liquid will sizzle and start to simmer. Let it reduce without turning the spaghetti and ‘listen’ for the boiling point. When you hear it ‘sizzle’ again (the noise changes sharply), keep your distance and wait for the ‘burning’ process to continue (this will take 30 seconds to 1 minute).” 
5. You keep repeating this process by stirring so the burnt pasta on the bottom moves to the top while continuing to add the tomato broth so the noodles cook through. 
6. They say it should take 9 minutes total but it took longer for me since I had to keep messing with the heat when my cast iron got too hot. I tried the noodles at 8 and 9-minute marks and continued until I liked the texture. I added more salt and stirred in Calabrian chili paste at the end. I also topped it with a little Parmigiano Reggiano!