Why is the pasta often cooked in the sauce in al'arrabiata recipes?
I looked up some recipes for pasta al'arrabiata, and one part I find a bit confusing is that most of them finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. So you cook the pasta separately until it's almost done, and then mix it with the sauce and finish cooking. I'm used to simply cooking the pasta and the sauce each for themselves, and only then mix them.
I'm an inexperienced cook, and this part adds some complications where I'm wondering if they're worth it or if I should simply cook the pasta and the sauce separately as usual. I'm comfortable with cooking the pasta alone to something resembling al dente, but mixing them both just before they're finished and then cooking both together makes this more difficult. I also usually use a rather small pot for the sauce, so I'd have to adapt that as well.
So, I'm wondering what the purpose of this step is, and whether I should just cook sauce and pasta entirely separately.
Best Answer
While Italian cuisine is defined regionally, the majority of Italian pasta dishes have one cook the pasta until almost done, then finish in the condiment. While there are exceptions that include thick, long cooked sauces like Bolognese or sugos, finishing in the condiment serves several purposes: (a) the pasta and the condiment can be combined, (b) the pasta finishes cooking, (c) it absorbs the flavor of the condiment, and (d) the condiment (sauce) thickens and emulsifies from the addition of the starchy pasta cooking water (this can be controlled by adding cooking water and/or allowing it to cook off). Yes, it is more difficult than cooking separately, and it can be a little nuanced, but it is not very technical. With a bit of practice, I think you will find this step worth it.
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Why is it called arrabiata pasta?
As the Italian word arrabbiata literally means angry, this meal is often mistranslated as angry pasta \u2013 the name, in fact, refers to the pasta's intense, spicy sauce, which packs such a punch that it can easily make you red in the face. In the absence of penne, ziti rigati or rigatoni can also be used.Where does arrabbiata sauce come from?
It's a spicy tomato marinara sauce that originates from Rome, Italy. In Italian, arrabbiata translates to mean \u201cangry\u201d sauce, thanks to all of those spicy chile peppers. And as mentioned above, this sauce can be used in any number of dishes.What does arrabbiata taste like?
Arrabbiata sauce is a light marinara or red Italian sauce that is given an extra spicy flavor by adding hot peppers to the sauce. The word "arrabbiata" can loosely translate to \u201cangry mood,\u201d a name inspired by its piquant taste.What is the difference between tomato sauce and arrabiata sauce?
What's the difference between marinara sauce and arrabiata sauce? While both sauces use tomatoes as a base, arrabiata sauce includes red chile peppers (in this case I'm using red pepper flakes) to make it spicy. Arrabiata is Italian for angry, meaning you're making angry (or spicy) sauce!Why You Should Finish Your Pasta In The Sauce
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Answer 2
I'm going to extend moscafj's excellent answer by being more specific to the case of pasta arrabbiata. Consult the Serious Eats recipe, which covers most of what I'm explaining.
Unlike a slow-cooked tomato sauce, arrabbiata is a quick-cooked, making the tomatoes bright, fruity, and acidic. Unfortunately, that means that the tomatoes are watery and chunky as well, which means that they adhere poorly to the pasta. Finishing the pasta in the saucepan with some of the pasta water fixes this, making the sauce thicker and stickier, and helping it distribute evenly.
So you can make the sauce and pasta separately, and just toss them in a bowl, but the result will likely be a lot of the sauce running off the pasta and staying in the bottom of that bowl.
Just make the sauce in a large, deep pan and it should be no problem doing this. You're not even washing more pans, just one bigger one.
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