Well, if you are craving something spicy and want to tingle your tongue, it’s time to make Arrabiata. Arrabiata comes from a family of Italian cuisine, much beloved and cherished worldwide. The name has an interesting story. Arrabbiata means angry in Italian which very much translates into the fiery notes of the dish.
Arrabbiata is pronounced “ah-rahb-bee-AH-tah” with the stress on the second syllable. The pronunciation may vary slightly depending on regional accents. As difficult as the name sounds, Arrabiata is very easy to make and yummy to eat. It’s simply finger-licking good!
Arrabiata Sauce Recipe
Arrabiata is very easy to make. You need
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 14 ounces of tomatoes
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil leaves, chopped (This is optional but recommended)
Instructions
- To make Arrabiata sauce, first prepare the ingredients. Start by mincing the garlic and chopping the basil leaves.
- In a frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the minced garlic. Just fry for a minute or garlic will burn and leave that unwanted pungent taste. It can ruin the whole taste palette of the dish.
- Then it’s time to add red pepper flakes. Add whatever amount of spicy you want and also, make sure they also don’t burn.
- Crush the tomatoes. Then combine them with garlic and red pepper. Cook on medium heat for some time and the texture will turn into gravy. Keep the flame low and let it cook for 20 minutes. Make sure you keep stirring to avoid burning of sauce.
- Add salt and pepper to your desired taste. The sauce will start to thicken resulting in intense flavors. So carefully adjust your spices. For example, if you want a bit saltish taste then even less salt will taste more in thickened sauce.
- Sprinkle freshly chopped basil for that aroma and taste profile. It adds herbaceous notes to the dish, the speciality of Italian cuisine.
- For serving, boil the pasta of your choice and spread arrabbiata sauce on it. You can also add cheese or basil or whatever presentation you like.
What Else Can You Do?
- If you are fond of creamy pasta, add cream to the arrabiata sauce. We fully realize that alfredo pasta is a good option but it’s not very spicy so arrabbiata is for spice lovers.
- You can add your favourite meat to make the dish more rich and healthy. Be a little playful. Add sausage, meat, chicken, shrimp, whatever you like. You can also switch your meat options with your favourite vegetables to make the dish veg-friendly.
What Is Arrabiata Sauce Made Of?
Usually, it consists of the ingredients that we mentioned above. These are garlic, tomatoes and seasoning. However, you can add onions to make the gravy thick and give it a sweeter taste. You can also add wine to make the taste notes more rich and complex.
Is There Any Difference Between Marinara, Tomato And Arrabiata Sauces?
Oh Yes! Though both sauces are known for being spicy, the level of spiciness is what defines both on an individual level. Arrabiata has more fiery taste notes than Marinara sauce.
Well, again for tomato sauce, it’s the spiciness level. Tomato sauce emphasizes more on tomato flavour. Whereas, arrabbiata sauce brings spiciness to the dish along with tomato flavour.
Are Arrabiata And Pene Arrabiata The Same?
Technically, Yes! In Penne Arrabiata, Penne Pasta is used to serve along with the dish. However, it’s not obligatory. You can switch to any type of pasta that is available and arrabbiata sauce will taste yummy with all.
How Much Spicy Is Arrabiata Sauce?
Well, there is no definite level but arrabiata sauce has a distinguishable spicy kick to it. Or it would be ordinary tomato sauce. Also, the Arrabiata sauce is spicy but not overwhelmingly hot for most people. Moreover, you can always adjust the spice according to your choice.
Overall, the sauce should have a nice balance between acidity, sweetness and spiciness. The sweetness comes from tomatoes or onions, spiciness from red pepper and acidity from both spice and pungent taste of garlic.
How Arrabiata Sauce And Bolognese Sauce Are Different?
These two are very different sauces. Not every red sauce is tomato sauce or Arrabiata sauce. Bolognese is very distinct in terms of flavour, texture and ingredients. Bolgenese has a more umami taste to it whereas arrabbiata has a spicy kick.
The main ingredient in bolognese sauce is meat. Meat gives a rich texture to the sauce as compared to the arrabbiata sauce which has a tomato gravy-like texture. Also, making bolognese sauce needs more time and ingredients than arrabbiata sauce.
Who Should Not Eat This Sauce?
As arrabiata Sauce is very spicy, these people should avoid eating arrabiata sauce.
- For people who have gastrointestinal issues, arrabiata sauce can trigger Acidity in the stomach. It can also worsen irritable bowel syndrome condition.
- People who are allergic to spicy food can feel heartburn, acid reflux or discomfort after eating arrabbiata sauce.
- If you already have a medical condition like an ulcer or Crohn’s disease, avoid eating arrabiata sauce as it can worsen the condition.
- The dish may not be suitable for pregnant women. Though many pregnant women crave spicy food eating arrabiata sauce sn triggers acidity and heartburn in pregnant women.
- Children may not eat Arrabiata sauce as it can be spicy for them. You don’t want a little drama at your home.