What’s saucy, spicy and Calabrese in origin? No, it’s not me (insert chuckle here), but rather one of my
favorite pasta dishes, Spaghetti alla Corte d’Assise. A simple yet satisfying primo that to me epitomizes
southern Italian cuisine. It is a recognized staple of the Ionio region, where it is said to have originated.
The dish is named after an actual court, the Corte d’Assise, composed of two professional judges (Giudici
Togati) and six lay judges (Giudici Popolari), selected by the people. This court has jurisdiction to judge
the most serious crimes, (except for cases involving attempted murder), and impose the corresponding
penalties, which can include handing out life sentences.
So moving from a lesson on the Italian judicial system, to a culinary one, this dish is said to have
originated in Reggio, Calabria in 1958. According to legend, it was created at the Hotel Restaurant Da
Rocco (now known as the Hotel Kennedy, which coincidentally is where my parents celebrated their
wedding reception), located in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica. The restaurant’s young and spirited chef named
Gaetano, was asked to prepare the house specialty as lunch for a well known-known judge and his staff
who were dining there after a court hearing. As chef Gaetano didn’t have a particular signature dish, he
quickly invented for them spaghetti in a spicy tomato sauce; a dish they enjoyed so much, that he was
asked for an encore.
Once satiated, the judge inquired as to the name of this picante plate. Chef Gaetano having just
invented it, replied that the dish had yet to be christened. Upon hearing this, the judge decided to name
it after the court for which he presided, the Corte d’Assisi, which much like the heat of the pepperoncino
on the taste buds, could be rather severe. And so, over 65 years later the Spaghetti alla Corte d’Assisi
continues to be the much talked about dish of the Club Hotel Kennedy but a typical dish of the regional
cuisine.
Comprised of ingredients that are typical pantry staples, my ruling on this dish is that it is, delicious! A
simple, go-to dish; ready in minutes, and a definite must-try for lovers of pepperoncino. Buon Appetito!
Spaghetti alla Corte d’Assisi
Ingredients:
300 grams spaghetti
1- 220ml jar of tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)
2 tbls olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 small chilis finely chopped
dried chili flakes or chopped fresh pepperoncino to taste
1/4 cup grated pecorino (preferably Pecorino Crotonese from Calabria) chopped parsley
salt to taste
Method:
Sauté the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until softened and translucent then add in both the
chopped fresh chili and dried chili flakes. Once the chilis have heated through add in the tomato sauce,
season with salt and allow to simmer and thicken (approximately 20 minutes). Finish off the sauce by
stirring in the parsley and grated cheese. Cook the spaghetti, toss with the spicy sauce and serve with
another dusting of cheese and more chopped parsley.
