Stanley Tucci Inspired Penne all’ Arrabbiata

Behold, we bring you Penne all’ Arrabbiata, a “pantry dish” perfect for last-minute entertaining or a late-night craving. We’ve created four pasta dishes for TABLE readers inspired by Stanley Tucci’s television travel series Searching for Italy. We recommend that you enjoy this dish with a Rosato of Sangiovese, a pitch-perfect rosé from Toscana, or Bardolino, a delicate red that balances well with the heat of this version of the dish, which is made with chili-infused olive oil.

Cooking the Italian Way: A Mix of Old and New

- Advertisement -

As you prepare your dish, picture this: Imagine a young American arriving to start a job in Rome. He knows little Italian and has arrived completely unprepared for life outside the office. He steps into a mom-and-pop grocery shop hoping to find something edible and becomes an eyewitness to a conflagration of epic proportions.

The elderly proprietress is engaged in finger-pointing, chest-beating, top-of-the-lungs argument with a customer about whether one CAN or CANNOT eat penne all’arrabbiata at room temperature on a hot summer evening. The prim, pale rose housecoat of the lady behind the counter shakes with rage: NO! Absolutely not. It is incorrect. A sacrilege. 

- Advertisement -

The customer shifts the bags of wine and bread she’s bought at the neighboring bakery and enoteca so that she can signal her total dismissal of that prudish idea: NO! That is an old idea even for you. I’ve known you for 40 years and I didn’t think you were this old. Let’s hope the salami I need to buy from you is fresher.

This provokes a laugh from the other customers, but it does not settle the argument, which continues at lower volume but not calmer emotion over the slicing, weighing, wrapping, and checking out. And into the street afterward.

- Advertisement -

The young fellow realizes he is in an entirely new place, where food is not a matter of tradition or convenience. It is religion, to pursue with fervor and precision… even if it means that you have to defend what’s right. This is why Italian food is so good. It’s about commitment to what’s truly the best way to do things.

About Penne all’ Arrabbiata

Like the attitude of the shopkeeper above, penne all’arrabbiata is a dish of righteous anger. Penne all’arrabbiata gets its name from the Italian word “arrabbiata,” which means “angry.” The dish is known for its spicy tomato sauce, typically made with garlic, tomatoes, and red chili peppers. The heat from the chili peppers is said to evoke a sense of “anger” or intensity, hence the name.

Check out our other Stanley Tucci Inspired Recipes:

Recipe by Keith Recker
Food Styling by Veda Sankaran
Photography by Dave Bryce

Fabric by Found and Foraged Fibers
Wine pairing by Adam Knoerzer

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition.

Subscribe to TABLE's email newsletter

We respect your privacy.

spot_img

Related Articles

Best Winter Comfort Food Recipes

Everyone needs a cozy dish to get them through the cold weeks of winter.

Three Pittsburgh Restaurants Are 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalists

Well-deserved nominations for some of the city's best.

Colorful Crostini Spreads to Brighten your Day

Enjoy sides as much as mains.