Spaghetti Pomodoro

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

There are three ways to make pomodoro sauce, each with their nuance. They include blanching and peeling, using a food mill to puree, or using canned italian plum tomatoes. As long as you follow the subsequent steps, they produce a sauce that feels like a warm hug. Store bought sauce just has nothing on this sauce, and it requires minimal effort or knowledge in the kitchen. I usually make it in bulk and freeze 4 ziploc bags at a time, so that, in times of need, I can always count on pasta. I will go over using fresh tomatoes and blanching, and using canned tomatoes, in the effort of not making recipes equipment specific.

Spaghetti Pomodoro

Ingredients

Serves 6

10
Roma tomatoes or a 12 oz can of diced italian tomatoes
1/4
Yellow onion
1
lbs Spaghetti, dry factory. No. 12 is thick enough
2.5
tbsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste
Parmessan to taste

Instructions

If using fresh tomatoes: Boil water and cook the tomatoes in it for about 1 minute. Take out and let cool. Once you can manage them with your hands, peel them and dice into about 1 inch pieces
If using canned tomatoes: Make sure to buy italian canned tomatoes, diced and with their juices.

The following steps are followed regardless of the type of tomato.

  1. Dice the onion into very small translucent pieces. Some sauce recipes call for larger pieces of onion which can then be discarded before tossing the sauce and pasta. I don’t mind a chunkier sauce, but if you want a smooth sauce, you can follow that method.
  2. Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and cook the onion until it no longer smells raw.
  3. Add the diced tomatoes, along with all of their juices
  4. Simmer them for about 45 minutes, mashing them with the back of a wooden spoon as they begin to soften
  5. I like to use spaghetti noodles for this sauce, not too thin, but not too thick either. I also like factory pasta for this, over fresh pasta; the bite that comes with it fits nicely with a simpler sauce. Boil as instructed in the box.
  6. At about the 35 minute mark of the sauce, start the pasta. 6-7 minutes in, add a few tablespoons of pasta water to thicken the sauce.
  7. Once the sauce has reduced, add the butter. The color will change from a ruby red to a creamier red. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Drain the pasta and add half a tbsp of butter to it, its own heat will melt it. Then, toss with the sauce.
  9. Serve immediately and garnish with a basil leaf if you’re artsy.
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