spaghetti al pomodoro.

spaghetti in tomato

The basics of building a sauce and layering flavours. Requires little ingredients, simple, fresh.

Ingredients:

70g dry spaghetti.
15-20 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, or 6-8 fresh plum tomatoes, cut into chunks, or a mix of both.
4-6 basil leaves.
1 shallot, chopped fine.
1 clove garlic, sliced thin.
50mL dry white wine.
10g (2 tsp) tomato paste.
100mL + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
kosher salt.
black pepper.
grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Equipment:

Yield:

Execution:

Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer over medium heat.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan set over low heat, once shimmering add the shallot.
Once the shallot has become translucent, add the garlic, continue to cook until it becomes aromatic.
Increase the heat to medium, add the tomato paste, while stiring contantly cook until the paste darkens, caramelizes and smells nutty and sweet.
Add the white wine and simmer until reduced by half.
If you are using dry pasta, you can add it to the boiling water at this point.
Add the tomatoes, cook until they have broken down and have released all of their juices, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes have lost their raw sour taste and has been replaced with sweetness.

2. toss the pasta with the sauce.

Once the pasta is al dente, transfer to the sauce pan. The pasta should be slightly raw in the centre, as it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Increase the heat to medium high, add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to the pan and stir to mix everything together and create a cohesive sauce. While tossing drizzle in an extra tablespoon of olive oil.
Remove it from the heat once the pasta is thoroughly coated and the sauce becomes creamy and glossy. Add a small handful of basil leaves, a few turns of black pepper, and lots of grated parm.
Give the pasta one final toss and let it rest in the pan for 30 seconds.
Plate and serve, garnishing with additional cheese, basil leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.