simple tomato sauce with spaghetti
Tomato sauce from a jar? Who needs it?
Light and spring-y. Economical and delicious. Fancy made simple.
Ingredients
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
4 large cloves of garlic, sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. dry red wine, (something you’d drink.)
2 large (28 oz.,) cans crushed Italian plum tomatoes
1t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. fresh basil leaves, torn
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1 pound fresh or dried spaghetti
2 large (28 oz.,) cans crushed Italian plum tomatoes
1t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. fresh basil leaves, torn
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1 pound fresh or dried spaghetti
1/2 c. Reserved starchy pasta water
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Directions
Put a large, deep pot of water on to boil for pasta. In a large, flat bottom pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Toss in red pepper, garlic and onion. Saute until onion begins to brown. Be sure to pay attention and don't let garlic burn! Deglaze the veggies with red wine. (Do not buy that horrid cooking wine you see in the vinegar aisle, ever.) Reduce the heat. Allow the wine so simmer a minute or two. (If you’re against wine in general, just add a tablespoon or two of water and proceed.)
Pour in crushed tomatoes. Sprinkle sugar, salt and pepper over. Tear up basil and toss in, giving everything a nice stir. Taste your sauce for seasoning. If it's too tomato-ey, add a pinch of sugar or a dash of Worcestershire sauce... That usually tones down that metallic, canned slap-you-in-the-face tomato taste. (While sweet, tomatoes can also taste acidic. Sugar and the caramel in Worcestershire sauce counteract acid and balance flavors.)
Saute on low heat while the pasta cooks. In a large, deep pot, bring water to a full rolling boil. Salt the water liberally after it comes to a boil. (Think sea water.) Cook a little less time than package says to. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 c. and immediately return to pot.
Ladle some sauce over spaghetti and blend. Add about half of the reserved starchy water. The sauce infiltrates the pasta's surface like a spy behind enemy lines. It infuses the bland noodles with the deep rich flavor of the sauce. The pasta finishes cooking at this point.
The marriage of noodles and tomato is such a happy one! Taste it... see if your mouth agrees. Adjust seasoning.
Add more sauce to your own liking, but don't drown the pasta... it's like a little spring jacket, not an overcoat!
Pile each serving up on a dish like a little beehive and sprinkle with tiny thyme leaves and some shaved Parmesan cheese. A drizzle of olive oil finishes off the flavor. Taste again for seasoning, adding a bit more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with sauteed, whole green beans laced with garlic and lemon zest and a rustic boule. Now, pour a nice glass of red, sit, place your napkin on your lap and enjoy.
Who needs sauce from a jar? Certainly NOT you!
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Directions
Put a large, deep pot of water on to boil for pasta. In a large, flat bottom pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Toss in red pepper, garlic and onion. Saute until onion begins to brown. Be sure to pay attention and don't let garlic burn! Deglaze the veggies with red wine. (Do not buy that horrid cooking wine you see in the vinegar aisle, ever.) Reduce the heat. Allow the wine so simmer a minute or two. (If you’re against wine in general, just add a tablespoon or two of water and proceed.)
Pour in crushed tomatoes. Sprinkle sugar, salt and pepper over. Tear up basil and toss in, giving everything a nice stir. Taste your sauce for seasoning. If it's too tomato-ey, add a pinch of sugar or a dash of Worcestershire sauce... That usually tones down that metallic, canned slap-you-in-the-face tomato taste. (While sweet, tomatoes can also taste acidic. Sugar and the caramel in Worcestershire sauce counteract acid and balance flavors.)
Saute on low heat while the pasta cooks. In a large, deep pot, bring water to a full rolling boil. Salt the water liberally after it comes to a boil. (Think sea water.) Cook a little less time than package says to. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 c. and immediately return to pot.
Ladle some sauce over spaghetti and blend. Add about half of the reserved starchy water. The sauce infiltrates the pasta's surface like a spy behind enemy lines. It infuses the bland noodles with the deep rich flavor of the sauce. The pasta finishes cooking at this point.
The marriage of noodles and tomato is such a happy one! Taste it... see if your mouth agrees. Adjust seasoning.
Add more sauce to your own liking, but don't drown the pasta... it's like a little spring jacket, not an overcoat!
Serve with sauteed, whole green beans laced with garlic and lemon zest and a rustic boule. Now, pour a nice glass of red, sit, place your napkin on your lap and enjoy.
Who needs sauce from a jar? Certainly NOT you!
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