If you dine out in Bari, a bustling port city on Italy’s Adriatic coast, the hyperlocal spaghetti all’assassina is an absolute must-try. Some credit the extreme popularity of the dish to its “killer” pedigree, but I argue that it has earned a cultlike following not for its provocative name but because it’s unlike any other pasta dish anywhere. A novel cooking method that involves simmering and frying the pasta in a single vessel yields spaghetti that is deeply saturated with a concentrated, spicy umami bomb of a tomato sauce and boasts textures that run the gamut—even within a single strand—from soft to al dente to crunchy.
Assassina is so well-liked that it’s not just restaurant fare—home cooks prepare it, too. But review blogs and cookbooks and you’ll get the impression that the dish is usually learned stoveside, as most recipes offer no more than a
