Spaghetti all'assassina – Apulian killer-style spaghetti to die for
Puglia is a destination rich in natural beauty, history and traditions that are also reflected in its cuisine. The cuisine is made up of nuances and flavours linked to the peasant and Mediterranean culture. Here one can find typical dishes of disarming simplicity, specialties from land and sea that delight even the most demanding palates.
The food and wine culture of Puglia is superb with dishes ranging from comforting to complex preparations where wine and olive oil occupy a place of honour. Famous for its Nero di Troia wine, pasticciotto (Italian pastry), orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) with turnip greens, panzerotti (small turnover), focaccia barese and crudo barese (raw seafood), there is one classic that is most unusual.
Spaghetti all'assassina is a cult dish in Bari’s gastronomy and dates back to 1967. It was created by Enzo Francavilla, the chef of the trattoria Al Sorso Preferito, located in the centre of Bari. This dish is spicy and oddly (but intentionally) involves charring raw spaghetti directly in a cast iron or steel skillet with a little tomato broth using a risotto-like technique letting the pasta soak up the tomato water before adding more.
The spaghetti is crunchy in parts yet weirdly delicious. It’s a double assassination with the spaghetti being killed by cooking it more-or-less dry so it burns to a crunch and the ‘blood’ (tomato broth) is flavoured with hot chillies to give it a real spicy kick.
#August2027 #CookpadApron2026
Spaghetti all'assassina – Apulian killer-style spaghetti to die for
Puglia is a destination rich in natural beauty, history and traditions that are also reflected in its cuisine. The cuisine is made up of nuances and flavours linked to the peasant and Mediterranean culture. Here one can find typical dishes of disarming simplicity, specialties from land and sea that delight even the most demanding palates.
The food and wine culture of Puglia is superb with dishes ranging from comforting to complex preparations where wine and olive oil occupy a place of honour. Famous for its Nero di Troia wine, pasticciotto (Italian pastry), orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) with turnip greens, panzerotti (small turnover), focaccia barese and crudo barese (raw seafood), there is one classic that is most unusual.
Spaghetti all'assassina is a cult dish in Bari’s gastronomy and dates back to 1967. It was created by Enzo Francavilla, the chef of the trattoria Al Sorso Preferito, located in the centre of Bari. This dish is spicy and oddly (but intentionally) involves charring raw spaghetti directly in a cast iron or steel skillet with a little tomato broth using a risotto-like technique letting the pasta soak up the tomato water before adding more.
The spaghetti is crunchy in parts yet weirdly delicious. It’s a double assassination with the spaghetti being killed by cooking it more-or-less dry so it burns to a crunch and the ‘blood’ (tomato broth) is flavoured with hot chillies to give it a real spicy kick.
#August2027 #CookpadApron2026
Open in Cookpad AppSteps
- 1
Bring 1 litre of water to boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add the tomato concentrate to the pot and cook for around 10 minutes and then take off heat and put aside.
- 2
In a cast iron skillet or large steel pan (not non-stick), add 8 - 10 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Bring the pan up to high heat and once hot, add the garlic and the chilli into the olive oil and cook for 20 seconds. Add the tomato passata to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring to combine with the oil. Keep the pan on high heat and let the sauce create bubbles.
- 3
Add the spaghetti into the pan by putting it down in a flat, even layer and begin to push the sauce on top of the pasta using a flat spatula and cook for about 4 minutes. Roll over your pasta to start cooking the other side. Add a ladle of the tomato concentrate water into the pan but don’t move the pasta.
- 4
Add a little salt and a generous amount of pepper and periodically push the sauce back on top of the pasta while it cooks. Push the pasta closer together and continue to cook as the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce. Let the spaghetti cook for 1-2 minutes without much sauce in the pan to help the pasta get crispy. Then, continue to add in the tomato concentrate water. The pasta should be cooked for a maximum of 8-10 minutes from the moment it is in the pan.
- 5
Pour over a little extra virgin olive oil then remove it from the pan and plate it up. Top with more extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and a dollop of Stracciatella.
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