Tomato Pasta Recipe
Adapted from Ross Yoder, via The Bear TV show
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes concurrently
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients Needed
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs extra virgin olive oil
- Bunch basil, divided in half
- 5 cloves garlic, halved
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)
- 65g/1/2 stick butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large brown onion
- 2x400g/14oz tins San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 500g/1.1lb dried spaghetti
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarb or baking soda (if needed)
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 - In a small saucepan add the olive oil, half of the basil (small stalks are fine, avoid thick stalks), garlic and red chilli flakes. Heat on low heat and allow to wilt the basil but do not overcook. Cook on low for 10 minutes until garlic is soft. Place a large pot of salted water onto boil.
Step 2 - While the basil oil is cooking, make the rest of the sauce. Cut the onion in half through the root so that the onion layers stay intact. Peel the skin off the onion halves. Place the butter in a large skillet and melt on medium heat. Add the oil and onion halves cut side down and allow to brown a little, around 3 minutes. Then add the San Marzano tomatoes carefully (gently to avoid splashing). Using a wooden spoon break up the tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 3 - Once the basil oil has had its time take it off the heat and allow it to cool a little. When the sauce has had 15 minutes puree the basil oil. Briefly pulse it in a food processor, blender or Thermomix briefly just to a rough chop (Thermomix directions: 5 seconds, speed #5). Add the basil oil to the sauce and stir to mix it and simmer for another 10 minutes or so uncovered. Season with salt and black pepper. The sauce should be sweet from the tomatoes but if it isn't, add 1/2 teaspoon of bicarb to reduce the acidity or sourness. Mix the sauce well.
Step 4 - While the sauce is cooking and has around 8 minutes to go, place the spaghetti in the boiling water and cook for until al dente, around 8-9 minutes. Reserve a third of the sauce for adding on top.
Step 5 - Then using tongs add the pasta to the sauce adding 1/2 cup or so of pasta water to loosen it. Carefully remove the cooked onion halves and discard. Mix the pasta well with the sauce and plate up. Add the extra sauce on top and scatter with the remaining basil leaves and serve straight away.
Personal Note
I made this so many times these past 2 weeks because we've both been sick. First I got sick while on holidays and a few days after we returned, Mr NQN fell like a giant tree in the forest. He usually powers through colds and flu and usually sits at his computer working just for shorter hours. But this time he was out for an entire week. He would not budge from the comfort of the bed.
I don't know if its a made up tale but we both tend to avoid eating dairy when sick with a cold or flu. So all he would eat were clear soups and broths. He would only eat bread if he could dunk it in the soup because it would otherwise hurt this throat. The only non soup food he would eat was this tomato spaghetti. In fact he wolfed it down and he said that the olive oil in the sauce really felt good when he was eating it. The fact that it didn't need any parmesan cheese was only an advantage as far as he was concerned.
Then the funniest oddest thing happened this morning. I was used to sleeping through his coughing so it became like background noise but this morning tiny Teddy Elliott started coughing exactly like Mr NQN does. He didn't seem sick any other way (and he is vaccinated against kennel cough) but his coughs mirrored Mr NQN's exactly. I don't know if he was doing it get attention but Mr NQN was convinced that it was sympathetic coughing!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried The Bear spaghetti? Did you ever watch the show?