Sasha's Kitchen: Spaghetti All' Arrabiata

Spaghetti All' Arrabiata is a pretty classic Italian dish. There are a million ways to make this dish, all of which are very similar. Below is my take on this classic.  I have made arrabiata before, but I have always used tomato puree.  However, Jamie Oliver suggests using canned plum tomatoes in his arrabiata, in Melanie Dunea's cookbook, the Last Supper.  Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite chefs, so I decided to follow this suggestion in doing my own arrabiata recipe.  It was a great idea - the texture of the whole tomatoes and the flavor was very different - much lighter and more enjoyable.  This recipe is extremely easy to make on a bust night, and was a big hit with my husband.  The leftovers were gobbled up for lunch the next day.

Sasha's Spaghetti All' Arrabiata
2T of red hot chile paste
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
one onion, diced
3 cans of plum tomatoes
1 box of thin spaghetti
several sprigs fresh thyme
pepper to taste
canola oil

To prepare this dish, I sauteed the onions and garlic in three tablespoons of canola oil, over medium heat, for about three minutes until softened.  Then I added the chile paste and cooked for another minute or two.  Then I added the tomatoes and cooked for another 20 minutes until the sauce thickened.  At this point, I seasoned with the salt, pepper and thyme.  If it's not spicy enough for your taste, add a bit of cayenne pepper. In the meantime, I combined the pasta with the sauce (after cooking the spaghetti, of course). I noticed that Jamie Oliver also incorporates a small amount of bread crumbs.  I don't do that in my recipe, but it might be an interesting variation for next time.