Aglio e olio and all'arrabbiata – two simple and delicious Italian dishes

Spaghetti aglio e olio (Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino)

Spaghetti with garlic, oil and hot pepper is a classic dish of Italian tradition - simple, tasty and, most importantly, quickly ready. The perfect dish to prepare when you have only a few ingredients at home because it is based on only 4 ingredients: spaghetti, garlic, oil and chili. The secret of excellent taste is in the selection of healthy and original ingredients, especially virgin olive oil.

In addition to being quick and easy to prepare, this Italian dish is light and easy to digest due to the presence of few ingredients.

From a modest dish to an Italian delicacy

Although the history of the aglio e olio recipe varies depending on the source, its origins are often traced to the Italian region of Abruzzo. The recipe for spaghetti aglio e olio was first mentioned in the cookbook "Cucina Teorico Pratica" by the Neapolitan author Guido Cavalcanti in 1837, but under the name vermiculi aglio e uoglie (pasta with garlic and olives).

Cavalcanti's recipe mentions vermicelli pasta, a thicker version of spaghetti that doesn't have the most attractive name (it translates to "little worms"). In 1965, Jeanne Caròla Francesconi, another legendary chef of Neapolitan cuisine, proposed the use of linguine pasta in the preparation of aglio e olio.

The spaghetti aglio e olio recipe is considered to be a modest variation of the classic Neapolitan linguine alle vongole recipe (pasta with clams) created by the poorer population of Italy at the time.

Nowadays, spaghetti aglio e olio is a classic Italian dish, perhaps even more famous than its richer ancestor!

Try to prepare this Italian classic with the recipe and Harissa spices.

Penne all'arrabbiata

Penne all'arrabbiata, another classic of Italian cuisine with its roots in Rome, is a pasta dish prepared with hot tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic and red chili peppers.

This dish is often called "hot pasta" because in translation arrabbiata literally means "hot" - the name refers to the intense and spicy tomato sauce. Although it is traditionally enjoyed as an appetizer, this simple but delicious recipe is certainly more than a mere introduction to the main course.

Arrabbiata – a piece of history

According to the Italian tradition, the arrabbiata dish was invented at the beginning of the twentieth century in a Roman trattoria (inn) whose host wanted to offer his customers an alternative to the amatriciani dish (a dish based on a spicy salsa with onions, hot peppers, tomatoes and hard sheep's cheese, and can go with or without pancetta). From the original recipe, he left out tomato and pecorino (a hard Italian sheep's milk cheese), added garlic, replaced bucatini pasta with penne pasta and significantly increased the amount of chili.

While the history of all'arrabbiata is somewhat questionable, this iconic Roman dish was immortalized in two famous Italian films from the 1970s - "Roma" by Federico Fellini and "La grande bouffee" by Marco Ferrari, and in 1986 it was even mentioned in the theater play "Sette chili in sette giorni" directed by Luca Verdone.

The importance and various variations of penne all'arrabbiate

Learning how to prepare this historic dish is more important than you think. Although it is delicious and appreciated all over the world, today it is impossible to find it on the menus of Italian restaurants. If you know how to prepare penne all'arrabbiata, you are participating in the preservation of a precious part of Italian gastronomic history.

Due to its simplicity, the recipe for penne all'arrabbiata is often subject to enrichment and transformation. In fact, it is often considered a base to which various ingredients are added - replace the hard sheep's cheese with grated Parmesan cheese, fry onions instead of garlic, or even both. If you want, fry the pancetta and mushrooms with the other ingredients.

In short, there are many variations of the traditional penne all'arrabbiata recipe, try to prepare this simple dish and by trying out our recipe!