serves 4
cooking time approximately 15 minutes
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 Italian hot peppers (peperoncini) or ¼ tsp. red hot pepper
1 lb. penne pasta (Italian)
1 large can (500g) peeled tomatoes
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

In a large pan heat the olive oil and add the garlic and the hot peppers and sauté. When the garlic becomes soft remove it from the pan and add the tomatoes, stirring and breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Let cook for 20 minutes over a low flame. 

While the sauce is cooking, put on a pot of well-salted water to boil. 

When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta to the pot and start timing it –  normally, pasta takes 8 minutes to cook (look at the suggested time on the package), but three minutes before it is finished (i.e. after 5 minutes of cooking) remove two cups of pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato sauce. Let the pasta finish cooking over a medium flame in the sauce, adding pasta water as needed to keep it moist. Remove hot peppers before serving. Empty pasta and sauce into a large bowl and cover with the chopped parsley. 

Normally this dish is served without cheese, but Pecorino Romano would go well with it.