The Art of Cooking Calabrian Chili Pasta: A One-Pot Wonder

As I begin cooking my calabrian chili pasta, I'm excited to share with you a recipe that's quick, easy, and utterly delicious. This one-pot wonder is perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions alike. With its burst of spicy flavor in each bite, it's sure to become a favorite in your household.

To start, I add two teaspoons of salt to the pot. When cooking pasta, it's essential to be mindful of the amount of salt used, as it will evaporate into the pasta and affect its overall flavor. Since I'm cooking the pasta in only an inch of water, I want to make sure not to overdo it with the salt. A high-sided skillet is ideal for this recipe, as it allows me to cook the pasta in four cups of water – half the amount I would normally use.

Now, let's talk about the pasta itself. I'm using cherry tomatoes, which are perfect for this recipe due to their natural sweetness and burst of flavor. To add a bit of color and visual appeal, I've chosen chives as my primary herb. Chives have a mild onion flavor that pairs beautifully with the spiciness of the calabrian chili paste. Quartering the cherry tomatoes will allow them to cook evenly and release their juices into the pasta.

As I chop the chives, I take note of how they complement the other ingredients in this recipe. The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, the spiciness of the calabrian chili paste, and the mild flavor of the chives all come together to create a harmonious balance of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds.

Once the pasta is cooked al dente, I add a cup of pecorino romano cheese to the pot. Pecorino is made from sheep's milk, which gives it a slightly spicier and saltier flavor than traditional parmesan cheese. The melted cheese helps bind all the ingredients together, creating a rich and creamy sauce that coats each strand of pasta.

Now, let's add the calabrian chili paste to the pot. This is where things get interesting – the paste is made from calabrian hot chilies, which are turned into a paste with vinegar and salt. At first glance, it may seem overwhelming, but trust me when I say that this spicy kick will elevate your pasta dish to new heights. The heat of the chili paste is subtle at first, but as you continue eating, the flavors begin to meld together, releasing a sweet and spicy flavor that's nothing short of delicious.

Next, I'll zest a lemon to add a touch of citrus to balance out the spiciness of the calabrian chili paste. The acidity of the lemon will help cut through the richness of the cheese and pasta, creating a refreshing contrast that will leave you wanting more. Finally, I juice half of a lemon to add a bit more moisture to the dish, ensuring everything stays well-coated in the sauce.

With all the ingredients assembled, it's time to toss everything together. I take care to ensure each strand of pasta is coated evenly in the calabrian chili paste sauce, savoring the moment when the flavors come together in perfect harmony. And that's it – my calabrian chili pasta is ready to be devoured!

This recipe may seem unconventional, but trust me when I say that it's a game-changer. By cooking the pasta in only an inch of water and using a combination of cherry tomatoes, chives, and pecorino romano cheese, you'll create a dish that's both elegant and accessible. And let's not forget the star of the show – the calabrian chili paste. This spicy condiment is sure to become your new favorite ingredient, adding depth and excitement to any pasta dish.

So go ahead, give this recipe a try, and experience the magic of cooking with calabrian chili pasta for yourself. With its unique blend of flavors and textures, it's sure to become a staple in your kitchen – and a favorite among friends and family alike.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: encalabrian chili pasta a one pot wonder each bite offers a burst of spicy flavor i'm starting with my calabrian chili paste pasta and i'm making it all in one pot so it's going to be quick and super easy we're going to start by adding two teaspoons of salt we're not cooking the pasta in very much water so you want to make sure you don't over salt it because it's going to evaporate into the pasta and you don't want the pasta to be too salty so we're cooking the pasta in an inch of water in a high sided skillet it's four cups of water usually when i cook pasta or penne a short pasta i cook it in about eight cups of water so it's half the amount of water and believe it or not it's gonna absorb all of the water and it's gonna cook perfectly and i know it sounds kind of weird especially for an italian to make pasta in not a lot of water but actually it works beautifully and i do owe it to mr alton brown who taught me that this actually works and when i'm cooking really fast and something quick and easy and i want to make it all in one pot and i don't want to clean up a lot of extra stuff this makes a very easy dinner so while that cooks i am going to quarter my cherry tomatoes so this pasta is made of cherry tomatoes some chives some calabrian chili paste which is super spicy so if you're making this for kids i would sort of avoid the calabrian chili paste because it's incredibly spicy but incredibly delicious and these are large cherry tomatoes but you could use whatever cherry tomatoes you find the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes is really nice with the heat of the calabrian chili paste next we're going to chop some chives so as you can see i've picked ingredients that work really well together and are very colorful to create a really beautiful looking pasta that you can make really fast as always i eat with my eyes first so i want things to look really really really pretty chop up all the chives for a nice mild onion flavor and we'll leave this up here because we have to we're going to add it all to the pot once the pin are actually cooked and now let's check our pasta pasta is done perfect okay there's going to be a little bit of water just left on the bottom which you need to create a little sauce and i add a cup of pecorino romano and pecorino's made from sheep's milk it has a bit of a spicier saltier bite to it toss toss toss till the cheese is melted on the pasta and i like to start with the cheese so that the rest of the ingredients kind of stick to the cheese it sticks to the pasta and it creates a nice little sauce okay time for everything else we're going to add all of the tomatoes the heat of the pasta in the pan kind of heats through the tomatoes but still you're going to have a little bit of that crunch from fresh tomato we're going to add 3 tablespoons of calabrian chili paste it's calabrian hot chilies they're turned into a paste with a tiny bit of vinegar and salt it's pretty basic but it's really spicy when you take your first bite you probably won't notice it's super spicy but as you eat a little bit more of it it slowly releases a sweet and spicy flavor which i think is really quite delicious there we go all right next we're going to zest a lemon a little citrus to kind of bring out the flavor of the chili paste we're also going to juice half of a lemon and creates a little bit more moisture too and now last but not least we're going to need a third of a cup of extra virgin olive oil again creating a little bit of a sauce and now we toss all together and make sure that all of the pasta is coated in the calabrian chili paste honestly it's one of my favorite new ingredients and it creates a nice little creamy sauce okay now the best part going in to taste it all youcalabrian chili pasta a one pot wonder each bite offers a burst of spicy flavor i'm starting with my calabrian chili paste pasta and i'm making it all in one pot so it's going to be quick and super easy we're going to start by adding two teaspoons of salt we're not cooking the pasta in very much water so you want to make sure you don't over salt it because it's going to evaporate into the pasta and you don't want the pasta to be too salty so we're cooking the pasta in an inch of water in a high sided skillet it's four cups of water usually when i cook pasta or penne a short pasta i cook it in about eight cups of water so it's half the amount of water and believe it or not it's gonna absorb all of the water and it's gonna cook perfectly and i know it sounds kind of weird especially for an italian to make pasta in not a lot of water but actually it works beautifully and i do owe it to mr alton brown who taught me that this actually works and when i'm cooking really fast and something quick and easy and i want to make it all in one pot and i don't want to clean up a lot of extra stuff this makes a very easy dinner so while that cooks i am going to quarter my cherry tomatoes so this pasta is made of cherry tomatoes some chives some calabrian chili paste which is super spicy so if you're making this for kids i would sort of avoid the calabrian chili paste because it's incredibly spicy but incredibly delicious and these are large cherry tomatoes but you could use whatever cherry tomatoes you find the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes is really nice with the heat of the calabrian chili paste next we're going to chop some chives so as you can see i've picked ingredients that work really well together and are very colorful to create a really beautiful looking pasta that you can make really fast as always i eat with my eyes first so i want things to look really really really pretty chop up all the chives for a nice mild onion flavor and we'll leave this up here because we have to we're going to add it all to the pot once the pin are actually cooked and now let's check our pasta pasta is done perfect okay there's going to be a little bit of water just left on the bottom which you need to create a little sauce and i add a cup of pecorino romano and pecorino's made from sheep's milk it has a bit of a spicier saltier bite to it toss toss toss till the cheese is melted on the pasta and i like to start with the cheese so that the rest of the ingredients kind of stick to the cheese it sticks to the pasta and it creates a nice little sauce okay time for everything else we're going to add all of the tomatoes the heat of the pasta in the pan kind of heats through the tomatoes but still you're going to have a little bit of that crunch from fresh tomato we're going to add 3 tablespoons of calabrian chili paste it's calabrian hot chilies they're turned into a paste with a tiny bit of vinegar and salt it's pretty basic but it's really spicy when you take your first bite you probably won't notice it's super spicy but as you eat a little bit more of it it slowly releases a sweet and spicy flavor which i think is really quite delicious there we go all right next we're going to zest a lemon a little citrus to kind of bring out the flavor of the chili paste we're also going to juice half of a lemon and creates a little bit more moisture too and now last but not least we're going to need a third of a cup of extra virgin olive oil again creating a little bit of a sauce and now we toss all together and make sure that all of the pasta is coated in the calabrian chili paste honestly it's one of my favorite new ingredients and it creates a nice little creamy sauce okay now the best part going in to taste it all you\n"