‘The Bear’ Star Matty Matheson Makes Angry Flaming Spaghetti, and It’s Legit

Given all the anger issues on The Bear, is it any wonder that Matty Matheson released his recipe for Angry Flaming Spaghetti? Then again, the 42-year-old Toronto chef and restaurateur didn’t draw inspiration from the Emmy Award-winning Hulu series. Rather, the spicy pasta dish is a food favorite from The Sims 4.

The massively popular life-simulation game, which has been around for 24 years, launched its fourth iteration in 2014 — now with a reach of more than 85 million global players. In it, Sims (the lifelike characters in the game, if you’re not familiar) can whip up Angry Flaming Spaghetti once their cooking skills reach Level 4. Meanwhile, Sims who eat the special dish breathe out fire and get an Angry Moodlet.        

Of course, there’s no question that Matheson’s cooking is way beyond Level 4. And because he’s not an angry guy, he’s now collaborating with the Sims-verse to bring Angry Flaming Spaghetti to dinner tables IRL.

In a just-released video, the Bear star breaks down his take on the dish’s recipe. “I love playing Sims. Life in the kitchen can be chaos — always cooking, always cleaning,” Matheson says. “At the end of the day, when I sit down and get to turn on The Sims, I get to build, I get to dictate, I get to control.”

And control he does. Matheson is commanding in the kitchen, showing viewers some truly practical skills they can use at home. “I love that he’s adding some of the pasta cooking water to the pan when building the sauce. That’s a great chef tip you can use at home to create a smooth pasta sauce,” says Chandra Ram, Food & Wine’s associate editorial director for food. “The cooking water becomes starchy from the pasta, so when you add it to the sauce, it gives the sauce more body and helps it cling to the pasta.”

But that's not all. Matheson also makes it very clear that safety comes first and foremost. (After all, this recipe calls for one of the most intimidating cooking techniques.) “Matty does something very important when he flambés the pasta,” Ram says. “Always make sure whatever you are lighting on fire is away from any open flames on your stove. You can just remove the pot from the heat, or transfer it to a heat-safe bowl like he does so you stay safe and don't set your kitchen on fire.”

Angry Flaming Spaghetti by Matty Matheson

Yield: 4 servings
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
For the Pasta and Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pepperoncino or crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Sugar, to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 pound spaghetti
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

For the Flambé
1/2 cup high-proof alcohol (Must be 21+ to flambé)

Directions

1.    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cover with a lid.
2.    In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, and a hefty pinch of salt. Stir to combine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are lightly browned around the edges.
3.    Add garlic and peperoncino and stir to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
4.    Add crushed tomatoes, a basil sprig, a bay leaf, and a ladle of hot water (about 1/2 cup), and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer, then taste and season with salt, pepper, and sugar (if needed). Cover and simmer while the pasta cooks. 
5.    Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the chopped parsley and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add a ladle (about 1/2 cup) pasta cooking water to the pan, stir, then add the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, and top with the tomato sauce. Top with basil and serve immediately.

Flambé option
After the pasta has been plated, put it on top of a heat-proof surface. Add 2 tablespoons of liquor to a small ladle. Slowly pour a thin stream of it over the pasta, and use a long stick lighter to light the stream on fire. This will flambé the surface of the pasta. Allow the flames to fully extinguish before eating.