Rigatoni al Segreto

1. Bring olive oil to medium-high heat in a saucepan.
2. Add salt and onion and saute until the onion is no longer white, but translucent. It will roughly take 5 minutes for onion to be in this state.
3.  Add garlilc and stir well. Cook for approximately a minute and then ass chili flakes and tomatoes. Bring the mixture to simmer and set the heat between medium to medium-low.
4. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 45 to 60 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes (5 minutes from doneness).
6. Add about 2/3 of the basil to the sauce prepared. Add butter and mix well. When butter melts fully, add cheese in 3 portions, one after the other.
7. Drain water from Rigatoni pasta and add it to the sauce.
8. Stir and cook until rigatoni are uniformly coated with sauce.
9. Dish up and serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

Trivia

The Italian word ‘rigato’, meaning lined or ridged, gave birth to the name of this pasta i.e. rigatoni. It is widely associated with the food of people in Central and Southern Italy. This type of pasts is also known as rigatoncini, and is quite similar to penne pasta except that it is slightly smaller. Their name takes on the tiny suffix ‘ino’,  (plural: ini) denoting their tiny size.

In the south of Italy, particularly in Sicily, this shape of pasta is popular and loved by many.