A La Diable is a popular French term for of the devil. In the Mid-Century, the term was used a lot for spicy foods.
My family likes spicy food, my father LOVES spicy food. For my father and my husband there is no such thing as too spicy. My husband grows ghost peppers in his garden every year and eats them with most meals. I dry the ones he can’t eat fast enough and send them to my dad; who crushes them up and adds the flakes to his famous chili. We even grow our own Cayenne, Jalapeno and Thai Chili Peppers.
So I was excited to try my first Mid Century Diable recipe. Admittedly, I did add about ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes because the pinch of cayenne didn’t seem like enough. I’m glad I did! There was just enough spicy flavor!
I went for the true Mid Century experience and used canned chicken – it wasn’t bad. I did not use canned mushrooms though!
For the cheese topper I used mozzarella. I think Parmesan would work as well, but I used what I had.
The pasta was really good. Both my husband and my daughter went back for seconds. I think this will save well too. It is a very nice baked pasta dish. My one suggestion would be to maybe break the pasta up before cooking. It was a little tricky to serve as you would get lots of pasta with little topping.
My husband says he definitely wants this again!
Spaghetti a la Diable
8 ounces Spaghetti
1 Onion, Finely Chopped
1 Clove Garlic
2 Tablespoons Fat
2 ½ Cups Cooked Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
Dash Cayenne Pepper
½ Cup Diced Cooked Chicken
1 Cup Mushrooms, Sautéed
Grated Cheese
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and place in a greased casserole.
Sauté onion and garlic in fat until tender. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and cayenne. Heat to boiling, then add chicken and mushrooms. Mix well and pour over spaghetti. Toss gently with a fork. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees until heated and cheese is melted.
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