Spaghetti Al Pomodoro

So many of you have asked me over the years “what's your favourite pasta”? And it might be surprising to you but really it’s the one and only "Spaghetti al pomodoro"! Obviously the quality of the ingredients here have to be at their best to get an incredible result. You need to buy the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. If you don’t buy the right pasta, you cannot make a good dish, so you need to buy the best bronze drawn dry pasta too. And for the tomatoes, this is of course a summer dish, make the most of them during summer or at the end of summer when they are at their best! 

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Serves: 2
Ingredients

• 200g spaghetti
• 300g mixed cherry and baby plum tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• Fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil 
• Grana Padano cheese

Method

1. To make the sauce start by washing the tomatoes and cut them in half. Peel and slightly crush the garlic cloves. Tear the basil leaves by hand to release their aroma.
2. In a large skillet, heat about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook for about a minute. Ensure the garlic infuses the oil but doesn’t burn. Add the halved tomatoes to the skillet and season with a good pinch of salt. Stir in the torn basil leaves, allowing their fragrance to blend with the tomatoes. Add a splash of water to help the tomatoes soften. Now cover the skillet and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes have broken down into a chunky sauce. Stir occasionally.
3. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining the spaghetti.
4. When the pasta is almost ready, take the garlic cloves out of the sauce place them on your chopping board, crushed them to get a nice garlic puree, and place it back inside the sauce.
5. Once the spaghetti are cooked, add it directly to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Toss the spaghetti in the sauce to coat it evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to achieve the desired consistency. Turn the heat off and drizzle a little more olive oil over the pasta and toss in some fresh basil leaves and freshly grated Grana Padano cheese. Stir it well again. 
   
6. Serve the Spaghetti al Pomodoro hot, with extra cheese and basil on the top if desired.​ Enjoy this simple yet flavourful Italian classic! 

Watch the video recipe

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