Classic Tomato Spaghetti Recipes

CLASSIC TOMATO SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Peel and finely slice the garlic and chilli (halve and deseed it first if you don't want the sauce too hot).
• Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put to one side. Finely chop the stalks.
• Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions.
• Meanwhile, put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 good lugs of oil. Add the garlic, chilli and basil stalks and give them a stir.
• When the garlic begins to brown slightly, add most of the basil leaves and scrunch in the tomatoes. Turn the heat up high and stir for 1 minute. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper, if needed.
• Drain the spaghetti, reserving a mugful of cooking water, then transfer it to the pan of sauce and stir well. Add a splash of pasta cooking water to loosen, if needed, then taste and season to perfection.
• Divide the pasta between bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves.
• Roughly tear over the remaining basil leaves and finely grate over the Parmesan.

CLASSIC TOMATO SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Pick the basil leaves onto a chopping board (reserving a few baby leaves to garnish), then roughly chop the remaining leaves and finely chop the stalks.
• Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic. If using fresh, cut the tomatoes in half, then roughly chop them or carefully open the tins of tomatoes.
• Put a saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the onion, then cook for around 7 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden.
• Stir in the garlic and basil stalks for a few minutes, then add the fresh or tinned tomatoes and the vinegar.
• Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, then continue cooking for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the chopped basil leaves, then reduce to low and leave to tick away. Meanwhile...
• Carefully fill a large pot three-quarters of the way up with boiling water, add a tiny pinch of salt and bring back to the boil.
• Add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions - you want to cook your pasta until it is al dente. This translates as 'to the tooth' and means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of a bite and firmness to it. Use the timings on the packet instructions as a guide, but try some just before the time is up to make sure it's perfectly cooked.
• Once the pasta is done, ladle out and reserve a cup of the cooking water and keep it to one side, then drain in a colander over the sink and tip the spaghetti back into the pot.
• Stir the spaghetti into the sauce, adding a splash of the pasta water to loosen, if needed.
• Serve with the reserved basil leaves sprinkled over the top and use a microplane to finely grate the Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle over.