Spaghetti al pomodoro is the most famous Italian dish in the world. People only started to use tomatoes in the early 1700s, before then, they just used olive oil and cheese!
Let's celebrate this masterpiece with the traditional recipe from South Italy. It's easy and perfect.
Spaghetti al pomodoro, the original Italian Recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings
Time 30 Mins
800 g sauce tomatoes
350 g spaghetti
basil
garlic
grated Parmigiano Reggiano Pdo
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
How to make spaghetti with tomato sauce
Bring a pot of slightly salted water to the boil, score the tomatoes with two small cuts shaped like an X and scald them for 30 seconds; take them out with a skimmer, should you wish to use the water for your pasta, cut them in half, remove the seeds and break them slightly with your hands.
In a spacious pan, brown 3 small cloves of garlic with the peel on in a little olive oil, then add the tomatoes and cook on a low heat for around 15’.
Add a bunch of basil, washed and dried – tear it a little with your hands if you prefer. Cook for another couple of minutes and turn the heat off.
Purée the tomatoes and basil (remove the garlic cloves first) in a vegetable mill or blend them. Boil the spaghetti in abundant salted water, drain when al dente and put back into the pan. Add the tomato sauce, mix and serve with a little olive oil, torn basil leaves and grated Parmigiano cheese to taste.