Open up a box of Barilla spaghetti, add a few handfuls of the long strands to a frying pan full of olive oil, a little garlic, some crushed red chili peppers, pour tomato sauce and water over it all and let it…burn?
It doesn’t sound like a traditional Italian pasta dish, but it is. Supposedly born in the late 1960s at Bari’s Al Sorso Preferito restaurant, the story has it that then-chef Enzo Francavilla created this dish for travelers from Milan, and the “killer” pasta—known as much for its flavor as its heat from the chili—was born. Whether or not the tale is true, locals have been consuming l’assassina ever since, but its popularity only exploded in the world (not to mention in Italy) within the last several years.
According to Chef Celso Laforgia, owner of Bari’s Urban Assassineria, a restaurant specializing in this quintessential barese dish, it’s thanks to the recent influx of tourists to this part of Southern Italy’s heel that pasta all’assassina is now a sought-after regional specialty. “There were the well-known barese dishes, like orecchiette con cime di rapa (type of broccoli), and when tourists came to Puglia and wanted to try something new, obviously spaghetti all’assassina was one of the main attractions.”
It’s also thanks to the Barese author Gabriella Genisi, whose Lolita Lobsoco detective series was turned into a TV show, and featured a 2021 episode where the protagonist investigates the murder of the fictional chef who invented the dish. YouTubers from around the world have talked about l’assassina on their channels, inviting travelers to search for it in Bari’s restaurants. In October 2022, Stanley Tucci featured Laforgia’s restaurant on his TV show, Searching for Tucci, and tried the pasta himself, giving it an even wider platform.
But what makes this dish so unique, and why the cult following?
While most pasta is cooked directly in a pot of boiling, salted water, spaghetti all’assassina must be cooked in a pan—purists insist that it be cast iron—and is then cooked for about 20 minutes, toasted slightly at first, later absorbing the water and tomato sauce that is poured over it. Red chili flakes and a good extra-virgin olive oil add heat and flavor, but the main trick is that the spaghetti should be left to sit in the pan to burn ever so slightly. Once that happens, the spaghetti can be moved around the pan for a similar effect on every side. Avoiding bronze-cut spaghetti is also key, as those release too much starch into the water. Instead, brands such as Barilla, or even a store’s plain-label spaghetti are ideal for a perfectly-cooked assassina.
For about 15 years, the Academy of Spaghetti all’Assassina, composed of around two dozen honorary members, meets in Bari to discuss and preserve the local pasta tradition. “Once or twice a month they meet in a restaurant that serves l’assassina, they eat the dish and give it a vote. They give grades, and prizes to the best assassina. Thanks to them, l’assassina began to be reevaluated in the restaurant industry. Today there’s no restaurant [in Bari] that doesn’t have it on the menu,” Laforgia notes.
The Academy measures the quality of the dish against a set of rules. While many insist on the cast iron pan, others, like Laforgia, say that modern induction technology is just as good at producing the same results. “The President (of the Academy), a dear friend, comes often to my restaurant. He knows that I don’t adhere to all their rules. But he comes to eat here frequently which tells me that he likes it,” laughs Laforgia.
Those who fear the chili’s heat may be inclined to add burrata or stracciatella to their dish for a more creamy, cooling effect. And Laforgia’s restaurant has taken spaghetti all’assassina to eclectic heights, offering several non-traditional versions of the dish. Non-purists might like the gourmet fusion “full house,” with its addition of smoked burrata and raw tuna to the pasta. Or a “puttanesca” that fuses the burnt edges of the assassina with flavors of anchovies, yellow tomatoes, capers, and olives.
Whether traditional or neo-modern, this spaghetti dish begs a visit to the southern reaches of the boot. In the meantime, it’s a recipe that can easily be tested out in the home kitchen. Get out the apron though, as there will be some tomato splatter!
Recipe for Spaghetti all’Assassina (adapted from Chef Celso Laforgia’s recipe)
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 400 grams spaghetti (use Barilla or other non-bronze cut pasta)
- 150 grams tomato sauce (homemade is best) or passata di pomodoro
- 2 cloves garlic
- Crushed red chili pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and sugar, to taste
- Liberally coat a cast-iron pan with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, and crushed red chili pepper (if you can handle some heat, add a few teaspoons) and bring to heat over a high flame until the garlic starts to turn golden.
- Next, add the raw spaghetti and toast gently in the pan, moving them around with a spatula, until they turn slightly golden in color. Then add in the tomato sauce (the sauce will begin to splatter, but this is normal and to be expected). You may also add a pinch of sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. With a wooden spoon, evenly distribute the sauce over the spaghetti and pan.
- Now, the technique: as the water in the sauce starts to evaporate, start allowing the spaghetti to stick slightly to the pan. Once this happens, use a spatula to move them around and unstick them.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, bring hot water to a boil and add salt as though you were going to boil pasta.
- Add a ladleful of the hot water to the pasta, allowing it to boil and burn off, listening for the sizzling sound as the water evaporates. At this moment, let the spaghetti start to stick to the pan, then scrape them away from the pan with the spatula and move them around.
- Continue on with this method, adding more hot water to the pasta just after it has evaporated and allowing the pasta to start to stick to the pan.
- Repeat this process for at least 8-9 minutes, then taste for doneness. Continue longer if needed. The spaghetti’s consistency will not be uniform as when boiling in water, and some strands of pasta should be chewy, while others slightly crunchy. When done to taste, dish out and serve immediately, adding red chili flakes or burrata if desired.
Buon appetito!
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