Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner.
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
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| More info on Cinque Terre here |
I'm not sure about the truth in that quote but one thing I can say is the recipe I'm about to show you might qualify for the above eating method. As many of you may know I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Italy with my husbands family about 2 years ago. Now Italy is not a place to go on a diet. They practically live off of carbs and gelato and I came back craving vegetables because I hadn't had them in so long. However, one of the things that Italy taught me about cooking is to eat what you love. In Italy you don't see people eating things just to eat like we do here in America, in Italy they don't waste their time on bad food, they only eat good food. To me that was such a wonderful experience. I loved watching people take two hours to have espresso and a roll with Nutella for breakfast. They didn't rush to their lunch or dinner break like us but rather savored the moment and the food. It was just divine and I can't wait to go back again one day.
When we went to Italy we backpacked through several cities including Venice, Rome, Orvietto and Cinque Terre. Now I won't get started on Cinque Terre (pictured in the picture above) because that would take an entire post but I will tell you a little about the food in Venice. When we were in Venice for our first night in Italy we went and found a little restaurant to get some dinner. I just knew I had to get spaghetti on my first night in Italy so I ordered the Pasta Al Pomodoro. It was amazing! Definitely something I could get fat off of. The tomatoes and pasta were so fresh you could just taste all of the flavors exploding in your mouth. I remembered that dish and wanted to make it but had no clue how until I stumbled across this great article/recipe in Bon Appetit. Now I can't wait to try it out and knew I had to share it with you immediately! So here's to eating good food and bon appetit!!!Pasta Al Pomodoro
Serves ~4By Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
Kosher salt
3 large fresh basil sprigs
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat
Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes
Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes
Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more
Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes
Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot
Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender
Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat
Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil
Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes
Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts
Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.
Some tips that were suggested on the Bon Appetit website and by readers who commented were:
Let the pasta sit until it comes to room temperature and the flavors will really come out better than when it is piping hot.
Since there are not that many ingredients use the best ingredients you can find
Also Bon Appetit did an article about making the perfect pasta that I thought you'd enjoy it has some great tips. You can find the web article here. I highly suggest reading some of their suggestions because most are not things I would have known to do.
(get printable recipe version here)
(get printable recipe version here)
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