I dropped a bunch of cookbooks in front of my husband this weekend and told him to pick meals for the week. He filled out a weeks worth of dinners with references so I could find the recipe. It was very helpful. What he didn't do was actually read the recipes. Once of his choices was spaghetti with plum tomatoes and basil. I didn't follow the recipe because I'm an inherently lazy cook and because I believe I am capable of throwing together a fresh tomato sauce. You are also capable of creating such a lovely thing. So I'm not going to give a recipe, but I will walk you through the process.
Start with good tomatoes. There's no point in trying this with mediocre tomatoes. Buy enough to feed however many people you're going to feed. Set a pot of water in the stove to boil. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, place in a colander and sprinkle with a small amount of salt. Allow to drain. When the water comes to a boil, drop spaghetti, I use whole wheat, about 2 ounces per person in and allow to cook about 8 minutes. While the spaghetti cooks, chop garlic, up to 1/2 clove per person depending on your tolerance for garlic, and fresh basil.
Warm a serving bowl with a few ladle-fuls of cooking water, then drain and wipe dry. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, and basil into the bowl along with a pinch of crushed red pepper and some freshly ground black pepper. When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain and add to the tomatoes. Toss and then add a splash of really good olive oil. Serve, and try not to fight over the last few pieces of tomatoes that are left in the bottom of the bowl.
Start with good tomatoes. There's no point in trying this with mediocre tomatoes. Buy enough to feed however many people you're going to feed. Set a pot of water in the stove to boil. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, place in a colander and sprinkle with a small amount of salt. Allow to drain. When the water comes to a boil, drop spaghetti, I use whole wheat, about 2 ounces per person in and allow to cook about 8 minutes. While the spaghetti cooks, chop garlic, up to 1/2 clove per person depending on your tolerance for garlic, and fresh basil.
Warm a serving bowl with a few ladle-fuls of cooking water, then drain and wipe dry. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, and basil into the bowl along with a pinch of crushed red pepper and some freshly ground black pepper. When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain and add to the tomatoes. Toss and then add a splash of really good olive oil. Serve, and try not to fight over the last few pieces of tomatoes that are left in the bottom of the bowl.
Looks delicious! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm already lamenting the end of tomato season.
ReplyDelete