Occasionally, I stumble across an out-of-this-world recipe. It’s a trick finding great recipes.  My dad, who was an aeronautical space scientist, got into cooking later in life and would send me recipes to see what I thought. I would tell him, “Well, that one looks good, and the other does, too.  Why don’t you combine them?”  To a meticulous engineer like him, combining the two was not an option!  When I saw this classic Italian pasta sauce called Penne Arrabiata (uh-rah-bee-aw-ta) in a video of Ina Garten, I had to try it because it had 24 (YES, 24) cloves of garlic. There are several tricks to making this dish, and don’t get scared off by the number of garlic cloves.  This recipe is utterly delicious.  Trust me.

 

2/3 cup olive oil

24 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)

2 28 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes (whole).  San Marzano tomatoes are the best.

2 tsp. dried whole fennel seeds (chopped slightly by hand)

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

2/3 cup red wine

1 tbs. salt

1 tsp. pepper

 

To easily peel the cloves of garlic, the trick is to blanch them in boiling water for about fifteen seconds.  Scoop the cloves out of the water, then cut off the clove end and the skin just slips right off.

Warm the olive oil and put in the peeled garlic.  Cook the garlic on low heat for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the outside of the cloves looks barely browned and the inside of the cloves is tender (pictured).  Take the cloves out of the oil.  

 

Drain the tomatoes.  If you have a food processor, process the tomatoes lightly until the tomatoes are roughly chopped.  I prefer getting the consistency I like by squishing the tomatoes with my hands in a bowl until roughly chopped.  Put the blanched garlic in the processor or chop them up until the garlic is in very small chunks.  Add the tomatoes back to the olive oil, then add the garlic and other spices listed, along with the red wine.   Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes.  I prefer an hour.  Although the other Italian dishes I make have the typical spices of basil and oregano, I do not add these spices to this dish.  

 

Where my recipe deviates from Ina Garten’s recipe is in the preparation of the pasta.  I once had someone tell me, “What’s the difference between spaghetti and pasta?”  The answer?  About nine bucks!  The only pasta I use is Rao’s.  You can find it everywhere, and it is delicious.  Also, some people like their pasta al dente (firm to the bite), but I don’t.  I cook my pasta for the maximum amount listed on the label.  

Rao’s Penne pasta

2/3 cup pasta water

Real butter (to taste)

Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano

Fleur de sel salt (French sea salt, well worth the price)

 

There are differing opinions on salt in the water before cooking pasta, and I have learned not to do it.  Once the pasta is cooked and before you drain it, reserve 2/3 cup of the pasta water.  This is a critical step for delicious, creamy pasta.  Next, add the pasta back into the same pot.  Add the pasta water and butter to taste.  I cook for two, so I add about one tablespoon of butter.  Now add the Fleur de sel salt to taste.  Stir until the liquid appears creamy.  Place the pasta in a bowl and pour the red sauce on top.  Top with grated Reggiano to taste.  Ina’s recipe has the ingredients tossed together, and you can do that.  But I prefer (and my husband Bill’s relatives who lived in Italy for years) said not to toss the sauce with the pasta.  I’ve tried it both ways and love the texture and look of the pristine pasta with the red sauce on top.  

 

Now, here’s the good part for those who love leftovers.  If you don’t eat up all this delicious sauce, freeze it.  You now have the perfect homemade pizza sauce ready at your disposal for a quick meal.  You also can make Shakshuka, a popular Middle Eastern breakfast dish made with eggs and feta cheese.  

 

RC:  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.