Spaghetti all'assassina

Step 1: In a saucepan whisk 1 tbsp tomato purée (concentrate) and ½ cup tomato passata into 2 ½ cups water with 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep it hot next to the stove.

Step 2: Put ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic and 2 dried red chillies in a wide iron or steel frying pan (30 cm) over a medium heat and fry for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold.

Step 3: Pour in 1 cup tomato passata and ½ tsp sugar and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, until it thickens and starts to stick at the edges.

Step 4: Lay the dry 7 oz spaghetti in the pan in a single layer and turn them in the sauce. Leave them alone for about 2 minutes over a high heat, until the sauce underneath sizzles and the strands start to catch and darken.

Step 5: Add a ladle of hot tomato broth around the pasta. Let it boil away without stirring, then turn the spaghetti over with tongs so the charred side is on top. Common mistake: stirring all the time as for a risotto; the pasta never rests on the hot iron long enough to crisp and you end up with plain tomato spaghetti.

Step 6: Keep going for 15–18 minutes: a ladle of broth, let it evaporate until the pan crackles, then turn. The pasta is ready when it is al dente, the broth is all used, and some strands are blackened and crunchy at the tips.

Step 7: Take out the garlic and serve straight from the pan, scraping up the crusty bits from the bottom.