Tomato Pasta
This tomato pasta cooks the sauce in the time it takes to boil the spirals, so dinner for three is ready in about 20 minutes. The tomatoes go in chopped with their skins and seeds, which keeps the sauce fresh and slightly rustic. Garlic is fried only until lightly coloured so it stays sweet, and torn basil goes in at the end. Transferring the pasta straight from the pot brings a little starchy water along, which helps the sauce cling.
Instructions
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, or follow the time printed on the box. If there is no time given, taste a piece now and then and stop when it is firm to the bite but not tough. Make the sauce while the pasta cooks.
Heat the olive oil gently in a large frying pan or wok. When it is moderately hot, add the garlic and fry until it is only lightly coloured, taking care not to overcook it.
Add the tomatoes and cook for several minutes, stirring and folding as you go. If they release a lot of liquid, raise the heat a little and let it reduce. Stir in the basil and turn the heat down.
By now the pasta should be done. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and move it straight into the sauce, or drain it in a colander. A little cooking water carried over is fine, as long as it does not flood the sauce.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Move everything to a large pasta bowl, scatter the cheese over the top, and keep some back for the table.
Make it personal.
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