Rachel's family is from Italy, so we plan to travel there together sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I'll be thumbing through these books and reading blogs about Italy! I think my next purchase might be Rosetta Stone: Italian.
Anyway, when the May issue of Bon Appétit arrived in my mailbox, I knew exactly what I was making for dinner that night. The cover picture was of spaghetti in a tomato sauce, and I'm all about tomato sauce. I LOVE IT ON EVERYTHING.
The teaser on the cover said, "The simplest, silkiest sauce you'll ever make." p. 142. I got so excited. But this recipe didn't call for any protein, so I decided to throw in some garlic sauteed shrimp along with some mozzarella cubes. The result was a very happy belly.
Pasta Al Pomodoro
Serves 4
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 28oz. can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
3 large basil sprigs, plus more for garnish
12 oz. spaghetti or penne
2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, Pecorino, or cubed Mozzarella
Heat olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add cubed butter and cheese (and cooked shrimp if you desire!). Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve. Enjoy!
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| 20 minutes later |
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