My favorite "warms-the-heart," comforting pasta dish is
the one I grew up eating: spaghetti con burro e pomodori. My
mom was a working mom so it was a dish she could throw together
quickly. The beauty of this sauce, like so many good pasta sauces, is
that in the time it takes to boil the pasta water and cook the pasta,
it's done. The recipe is simple, but the key is to use the best
ingredients you can get your hands on. Don't skimp on quality. Buon appetito!
Spaghetti con burro e pomodori (Spaghetti with butter and tomato sauce)
Put pasta water on to boil. Salt it generously. When water boils, add in 1 package of (thick) spaghetti. Cook about 1 minute less than package indicates for al dente pasta.
In the mean time, melt 1/2 cup of unsalted, best-quality butter in a saute pan ove medium heat. When butter starts to foam, add 2 cloves of minced garlic. Heat until butter smells garlicky and is completely melted then dump in a large can of imported San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes. Smash tomatoes up with a wooden spoon.
Continue simmering until sauce is reduced by about a third, 20 minutes or so. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with hot, cooked pasta. Pass the grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese. (My family is Roman, so we prefer pecorino romano.) Serves 4 as a main dish or 6 as a starter.
[photo: Stefania Pomponi Butler]
also posted on slashfood
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