Sweet Potato Noodles All’Arrabiata

All’Arrabiata

A few weeks ago, while we were relaxing in Italy, I started experimenting with the arrabiata sauce. All’arrabiata actualy means angry. And that is all because of the peppers used to make it fiery. The sauce apparently originates from Rome. It seems quite popular throughout Italy and we could find many pre-made versions in our supermarket there. One of the first days we were doing groceries and I remember the boyfriend wanted to grab one of the pre-made varieties. I distinctly remember telling him why would we buy the pre-packaged stuff while in Italy and having the best produce at hand. I checked the ingredients on the back and we set off to get everything fresh.

At this point I’ve made the sauce quite a few times and every time slightly different. But it’s are delicious every single time. I have made some adjustments to the original versions. The basic version calls for tomatoes, garlic and dried red chili peppers. I added onion to this for flavor. There also seems to be a debate going on about the use of canned tomatoes vs. fresh. I take no part of this and used both. Now whenever I make it, it brings back memories of our vacation in Italy. I can’t help but smile and enjoy these little things.

Pepperoncini vs Red Pepper Flakes

One of the things I brought back with me from our recent travels are pepperoncini pepper flakes. Pepperoncini are made from dried Italian pepper. While red pepper flakes are usually a combination of several peppers combined, and can contain jalapeño or chile. However, the biggest difference between these two is that most red pepper flakes are dried in an industrial oven and pulverized on the spot. While dried pepperoncini are hung to dry out in the sun, similar to the process Hungarians use to dry their peppers. Which is a longer process but creates more flavor instead of just hot. I think you should be able to get your hands on some pepperoncini in an Italian specialty store. If not red pepper flakes will also get the job done.

Veggie Noodles

The trick with veggie noodles is to not overcook them. Whether you are doing zucchini, sweet potato or pumpkin. Each will have a different way to make sure it’s not too soft. My biggest issue with these noodles is actually spiralizing them. In our household that’s a task that I constantly pass on to the boyfriend. I don’t know what it is, but I struggle every single time when using the spiralizer. So, I’m grateful the boyfriend doesn’t mind and likes to help out in the kitchen as well.

Because I used sweet potato in this recipe, I seasoned the sauce with slightly more pepperoncini. The sweetness balances the sauce out nicely. But beware that when tasting the sauce on its own it’s quite ‘angry’. But it all works out as soon as you add the sweet potatoes to it. If you prefer milder sauces you can always add less. This bit is a little bit personal as to how ‘angry’ you would like your all’arrabiata.