Penne all'arrabbiata.

PENNE ARRABBIATA SAUCE WITH TOMATOES, HOT CHILIES AND GARLIC

Preparation - Easy
Prep: 10, Cook: 30
Serves 4

This pasta along with all'Amatriciana and their variations are favorites in Roman trattorias. All'Amatriciana , with little pieces of cured pork in the sauce, comes from the Abruzzese town of Amatrice. So do many of the hosts of the old Roman trattorias, osterias, and tavole calde, where Romans take their meals, and so all'Amatriciana has become a Roman style of pasta. Penne all'arrabbiata, without the cured pork, simply means "enraged pasta," referring to the heat of the peppers.

Control the heat of the dish by using more or less hot red pepper.
 Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
INGREDIENTS:

    * 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    * 3 large garlic cloves, minced
    * 1 28 oz can Italian tomatoes with their juice, chopped or 1 1/2 lb fresh tomatoes.
    * 1 or 2 dried hot red chilies, broken into pieces, or 1 t hot red pepper flakes to taste
    * Salt to taste
    * 1 lb penne
    * 2 TBSP chopped parsley for garnish
    * 6 quarts water
    * a large sprinkle of grated parmesan

HEAT the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic, stirring constantly, until it is just beginning to turn golden - about 6 minutes.

ADD the tomatoes and chilies, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking until the tomatoes are soft and the sauce is dense but not pureed - about 20 minutes with canned tomatoes.

REMOVE from the heat and taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

COOK the pasta.

DRAIN thoroughly, turn into a warm serving bowl, and pour the sauce over it, mix well, or finish in pan by draining pasta, adding to cooked ingredients, stirring well.
Top it with a large sprinkle of parmesan cheese

SERVE immediately