As the festive season fades into memory, renowned food writer Felicity Cloake offers the perfect culinary antidote to the January gloom: a brilliantly simple and deliciously vegan penne all'arrabbiata. The name, meaning 'angry' in Italian, refers to the fiery kick of chilli, but this classic pasta dish is pure joy to both make and eat.
The Ultimate Store-Cupboard Comfort Food
Cloake champions this recipe as an ideal choice for this time of year. It requires just a handful of basic ingredients, many of which you likely already have on hand. The dish is quick to prepare, entirely plant-based, and reliably lifts the spirits with its rich, tomatoey sauce and gentle heat. With a prep time of five minutes and a cook time of around twenty-five, it serves two hungry people perfectly.
Ingredients and Expert Notes
The recipe calls for: 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for finishing), 1 tsp chilli flakes, 2 garlic cloves, 400g good tinned tomatoes or passata, 200g penne, salt, black pepper, ¼ tsp red-wine vinegar, and a handful of basil or flat-leaf parsley.
Cloake provides crucial guidance before you start cooking. While penne is traditional, she suggests any pasta shape that traps sauce well will work. She recommends rigatoni, fusilli, or conchiglie, noting that Jamie Oliver even uses spaghetti. The book The Geometry of Pasta by Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy lists fourteen possible alternatives.
She also emphasises being generous with the olive oil, as it provides essential richness to the simple sauce. While olive oil is preferred, a neutral oil or even oil from a tin of anchovies can be used for the initial cooking.
Step-by-Step Cooking Method
Begin by heating the oil in a saucepan and frying the chilli flakes until they darken slightly. Adjust the quantity to your heat preference, and note that fresh chillies can be used instead. Next, add finely sliced garlic and cook until just golden.
Cloake mentions that some recipes add anchovies or cured pork at this stage but believes they are unnecessary. Pour in the tomatoes, add salt, and let the sauce simmer gently for about 15 minutes until thickened.
While the sauce cooks, boil the penne in salted water until just shy of al dente, reserving a little pasta water before draining. Stir the red-wine vinegar into the finished sauce and check the seasoning.
Bringing It All Together
Toss the drained pasta into the sauce, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water if it seems too thick. Cook together briefly over a low heat until the pasta is well coated. Serve in shallow bowls, drizzled with more olive oil and scattered with torn basil or parsley. For those who desire it, pecorino romano cheese makes an ideal finishing touch.
Cloake also offers a handy make-ahead tip: both elements can be prepared in advance. Keep the sauce slightly looser and store the cooked pasta in iced water for up to an hour before reheating everything together.
This masterclass from Felicity Cloake proves that great flavour doesn't require complexity. Her penne all'arrabbiata is a vibrant, satisfying dish that turns everyday ingredients into a spectacular meal, perfectly suited for brightening a chilly January evening.
