Arrabbiata Sauce

This was my favorite dish at the long-gone, much lamented Bruno's Ristorante in L.A. When they closed, the chef gave me the recipe; it was similar to this, but used sun-dried tomatoes softened in olive oil instead of canned tomatoes (Costco's sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil work beautifully) and added white wine and a hit of cream. I generally don't add salt, since sun-dried tomatoes are made with salt. Delicious over pasta, alone or with grilled chicken.

LOL, there were no amounts on the recipe the chef gave me, just a list of ingredients jotted on a postcard, so I add ingredients until it tastes right. The Costco jar is 35 oz, and I probably use 1/2 to 1 cup of wine and maybe a quarter cup of cream? Not much oil other than what clings to the tomatoes. I use at least 4 cloves garlic and 2 tsp red pepper flakes, but adjust to taste. Don't add salt until you taste it, because the tomatoes can be very salty. Sometimes I puree some of the tomatoes.

You can reverse too much “heat” by adding a raw peeled potato to the pot and cooking gently for 10-20 minutes depending on how much kick you want to remove. I use this whenever I overdo the cayenne in my Manhattans clam chowder