Cycle 17 – Item 75

Post 5,919

21 (Sat) March 2026

Spaghetti All’Assassina

3.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with IZ

Spaghetti All’Assassina is an Italian dish.  Dried spaghetti, tossed/toasted with red pepper flakes and olive oil in a skillet, then slowly simmered in tomato broth until the pasta has fully absorbed the liquid and begins to char in the pan – also called “spaghetti bruciati (burnt spaghetti).”  Or so the story goes, the first customer to try the dish found it so spicy that he accused the chef of trying to kill him – i.e., “assassina = assassin.”

Another dish inspired by the Allrecipes YouTube channel (see 18 Pasta Hacks You Need to Know), hosted by Nicole McLaughlin, my current favorite online food creator (see most recently 17.074 Lazy Wonton Soup).

While the spaghetti typically takes 11 minutes to reach al dente when boiled in water, it took over 22 minutes in the broth, as I was careful not to burn the sauce before the pasta was fully cooked.   Ultimately, I should’ve cooked everything a bit longer to achieve the proper char, but I didn’t want the noodles to get overcooked in the middle.  Also, because I’d started with jarred tomato sauce + chicken stock, in lieu of tomato passatta/puree and water, the sauce was getting quite salty as it reduced, so I stopped when it was just right.

Despite the lack of char – and thus perhaps not a true assassina – my first attempt turned out quite well.  Creamy texture, nicely balanced flavors – not too spicy.  Simple yet elegant.  I will work on the recipe until perfected.

(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See HANSIK)

(See BOOZE)