Penne all’Arrabbiata
with Smoked Pancetta and Fresh Basil
Food is described with an infinite number of adjectives but ‘angry’ is not one that immediately springs to mind. That’s unless we’re talking in Italian. This little dish is ‘Arrabbiata,’ (this means ‘angry’ in Italian), because of its spicy kick, but we’ll let your family decide how much of a temper you want it to have. Given that this tasty recipe can be ready in the time it takes to boil your pasta, there’s really nothing angry about it. So smile and tuck in!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
Ingredients
2
Red Pepper
4
Garlic Clove
1
Basil
3
British Smoked Bacon Lardons
2
Chopped Tomatoes
1.5
Smoked Paprika
400
Wheat Penne Pasta
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
40
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
Nutritional information
Utensils
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Remove the core from the black pepper and slice lengthways into ½cm strips. Mix your pepper with a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Place on a baking tray in your oven for 15 mins.
Boil a large pot of water. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one). Tear the basil leaves into small pieces. Tip: Tearing them releases more flavour than chopping.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Fry the pancetta until it is crispy around the edges.
Add your garlic and cook for 2 mins. Tip: Avoid overcooking the garlic as you don’t want it to taste bitter
Add the chopped tomatoes with the smoked paprika (add more or less depending on how spicy you like it). Add a good pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Cook on medium heat for around 10 mins, until you have a nice thick tomato sauce.
Cook the penne in the boiling water with a pinch of salt for around 6 mins, until ‘al dente’. Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle.
Once your pasta is cooked, drain and then stir it into your tomato sauce. When your pepper is nice and soft, add this to your tomato sauce too.
Scatter your basil leaves over your pasta. Grate the parmesan on top and dig in! Tip: Best eaten with a fork, in a reclined position, on the sofa.
