Garganelli alla Arrabiatta (Pasta with Hot Chili Pepper)

I mentioned in my previous post that Ro-Ri San recently returned from Italy bearing lots of pasta and seasonings from Rome. I have not been to Italy myself but hope to visit real soon. From Ro-Ri San’s pictures and descriptions, I have been trying to re-create the trattoria atmosphere he experienced there. I went and bought a few Italian dishes and such for the setting of these pictures. It’s a long shot and I am far, far from even getting close but I sure had a lot of fun! Humor me, will you? 😀

Anyway, I have been dreaming of all the dishes I could make with the delightful array of pasta and seasoning he brought home for me. Ro-Ri San said there was such a variety and he had a hard time selecting what he thought I would like. As you can see from the picture below, I think he did a wonderful job!

For today’s recipe, I used the penne alla arrabiata seasoning. Instead of running to the store for penne pasta, I decided to go ahead with the colorful garganelli, a tubular noodle formed by rolling a flat square ridged noodle on one corner ending with triangular tips on both ends. They are all naturally colored with spinach, turmeric, berries, and squid ink.

I found out (on the web of course!) that arrabiata means angry in Italian. The sauce is so named due to the heat of the chili peppers. I can tell you that the seasoning, though mild as it looks packed a punch! It is spicy!

The packaging came with a very simple recipe which calls for just penne pasta, olive oil, plus the seasoning. I added some canned stewed tomatoes for a little more sauce and some chopped Italian parsley for a little more flavor. I did tone down on the use of the seasoning for Ro-Ri San and Ro-Jiro’s sakes. We really enjoyed this Garganelli alla Arrabiatta (Pasta with Hot Chili Pepper) dish together with some Bruschetta al Pomodoro and a glass of pinot grigio for the adults. Ro-Jiro had grape juice.

The seasoning consists of a blend of dried chili pepper flakes, garlic, parsley, and basil. Please mix your own with any combination to suit your taste.

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Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎