Tomato Spaghetti
Tomato and Herb Spaghetti
Something that is so quick to make and soooo tasty, and I believe is a rival for pizza.
Ingredients:
Spaghetti - a handful per person - or if you only have another sort of pasta in the cupboard that works too
Oil - rapeseed or olive oil, 2 tablespoons of
Onions 1 small onion per person
Tinned Tomatoes (whole or chopped) ½ a tin per person
Garlic Cloves crushed and finely chopped (1 per person)
Fresh basil - a large handful per person (or use parsley, thyme or coriander or a mix)
Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
How to:
To prepare the sauce: put the oil into the other saucepan and fry the chopped onion until they go golden/translucent, add the tinned tomatoes, if you have whole tomatoes chop these up a bit as you want a have a tomato sauce at the end. Fill the tomato tin with cold water and add this to the onion and tomatoes in the pan and bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer for 15/20 mins so that the sauce reduces.
Now add the garlic, salt and pepper and Tabasco if you like a bit of heat and the fresh basil/herbs and cook for a further 5 minutes. (leave a handful of your chopped herbs - to put on each mound of tomato pasta to decorate.
10 minutes before you need it ….cook the pasta.
Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and then drop the spaghetti into the water carefully, for approx. 8 /10 mins. The water always has to be boiling before pasta goes in. Carefully pull out a strand of spaghetti to see if it is cooked and once you are happy it is, drain nearly all of the cooking water out of the pan (but leave a little in the bottom (4 tablespoons approx.) so that it does not dry out totally and whilst you wait to mix into the sauce. Easier to cook sauce first and then pasta, not to over cook the pasta.
Now mix your drained and cooked spaghetti into the sauce including the little bit of pasta water you have left. Mix thoroughly and it is ready to serve.
To tart this already delicious herby tomato dish up for another day, you can add, tomato puree (a tablespoon per person, this makes the sauce richer), tinned anchovies, capers, olives and lemon juice, and this is then Spaghetti Puttanesca which means lady of the night!