The pantry pasta that slaps way harder than it should

Spicy chickpeas and tomato sugo. Big flavor, low effort

Yo, ok this is legit one of my favorite pantry pasta.

Pasta e ceci Fra Diavolo: spicy, cozy, just straight-up addictive. No lies, every time I make this at work I end up eating a bowl of sauce by itself. It’s the perfect balance of heat and comfort.

I made this batch with small fusilli because Michelle, one of the girlies at work, is obsessed with them. And ngl, they do catch the sauce perfectly.

So Fra Diavolo means “brother devil” in Italian. It was the nickname of Michele Pezza, this Italian rebel known for his fiery temper. Fitting cause this pasta has an attitude and she’s spicy af. Traditionally, it’s paired with seafood, but let’s be real; my street still hasn’t been snow cleaned in three days and there’s no way I’m trekking to the store for shrimp. Chickpeas it is.

This one’s got Bomba, Peperoncini Piccanti, and a stupid amount of fennel seeds, for that slow, creeping heat that doesn’t play around. At this point, Bomba’s a non-negotiable in my kitchen. If you don’t know it, it’s a Calabrian hot pepper paste that hits deeper than just spice. It’s got sun-dried tomatoes, eggplants, olives, mushrooms—all blended into one loud, punchy flavor bomb. I throw it in sauces, sandwiches, pizza… basically keep a jar in your fridge.

Then there’s Peperoncini Piccanti. Tiny Italian peppers from Puglia, soaked in oil. They slap too. If you can’t find the brand I use, Mark’s makes a great local version which you can grab at Veux-tu une bière if you’re in Montreal.

Now you try it and tell me: on a scale from 1 to send help, where you at?

Em

two of my pantry ride-or-dies

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Pasta e ceci Fra Diavolo

FOR 2

• 250g fresh fusilli

• Extra virgin olive oil 

• 3 cloves garlic confit (or fresh)

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp Bomba (don’t be shy)

• 1 tbsp Peperoncini Piccanti, blitzed with their oil

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes (if you’re scared, dial back—if you love pain, double)

• 400g whole San Marzano tomatoes, blitzed until smooth

• 1/3 cup chickpeas

• 1-2 tbsp unsalted butter 

• Salt and black pepper

• Pecorino Romano, finely grated

HOW

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic confit and let it melt into the oil.

3. Blitz the Peperoncini Piccanti with their oil and add to the pot with fennel seeds, Bomba, chili flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir and let everything toast for about a minute until fragrant.

4. Pour in your blitzed tomatoes and stir. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about an hour, stirring often. You want it to lose that sharp acidity and turn deep, sweet, and rich. Adjust salt to taste.

5. Add the chickpeas in the last 10min so they soak up all that spicy goodness.

6. In the meantime, cook your pasta until just al dente.

7. Right before adding the pasta, stir 1–2 cubes of butter into the sauce for richness.

8. Cook your fusilli in salted water until just al dente. Transfer it straight into the sauce, carrying a tiny bit of pasta water to help emulsify everything. Stir until the sauce coats every piece. Slap Slap !

9. Serve and drizzle with more olive oil, top with Pecorino Romano

WORD

• The fusilli can be swapped for tubetti, shells or any small pasta

• How to make garlic confit:

  • Take ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and heat it gently in a small pan.

  • Add 6–8 cloves of blitzed garlic (or sliced).

  • Turn the heat off and let the garlic slowly infuse and soften in the warm oil for about 10min.

  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week—drizzle it on everything.

• No garlic confit ? Np, just slice fresh garlic, toss it straight into the extra virgin olive oil in Step 1, and let it soften before adding the rest of the spices