Sambal is becoming more common, a spicy Malaysian chile paste that is widely used for a lot of Asian cuisine. You can find it in the Asian food aisle of any well-stocked grocery store. A generally straightforward mix of chiles, salt and vinegar (some have garlic and/or sugar), sambal can best be described as an Asian harrissa. It’s different from Sriracha in that it is nice and chunky with lots of seeds and bits of chile. It makes for a great shortcut to Arrabbiata and here’s the simple way to do it.

Read more about spicy pasta in Dave Mau's article here.

The origins of this sauce are obscured in legend and lore. In Italian, 
salsa puttanesca literally means "harlot's sauce" and was thought to be 
a favorite meal of prostitutes because it was nourishing--and quick to 
make. Another source implies that it was a favorite sauce of married 
ladies who were having an affair; they would come home late and make 
this rich sauce which smelled as though it had been cooking all day. It 
can be served over your favorite pasta; or, spread it on Italian bread, 
top with parmesan cheese, and broil it for a hearty sandwich.

This recipe is from Giuliano Bugialli as profiled by Nancy Gerlach, who 
met him in Rome. She commented: “This in an all-purpose sauce that can 
be used on a variety of pastas. To really 'enrage' the sauce, replace 
the crushed New Mexican chile with chiltepíns or piquin chiles.”