Mistress of Spice & Everything Nice;): What's a Sunday without soulful comfort food ?

All my mad food adventures have one thing in common- Insane, indefatigable cravings!

This day was no different. I felt the need for some comfort food... pasta to be precise:)

I walked into my kitchen thinking I'd make Ziti with garlic-sage-butter sauce but I'd run out of Ziti. All I had was a box of unopened Spaghetti staring at me dolefully.And then I remembered the over priced San Marzano tomatoes that I'd bought the previous day. My fancy neighborhood supermarket claimed to have flown them in from Naples. They looked so red and juicy that I just had to give in and pay up. I swear the prices in the store made me sure they were calculating in Yen:S

Anyhoo, Spaghetti Pomodoro it was for dinner!

Ingredients:

1 big tbsp Olive oil
2 Big Onions
1 clove Garlic-finely chopped
4 San Marzano or Heirloom Tomatoes (for the puree..There's nothing like a rich, creamy tomato sauce that can bring me down to my knees...)
Parsley
6-7 Mint leaves
Thyme to taste
Red Chili Flakes
Salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste
4 ounces of Spaghetti
1/2 cup Grated Cheese (Parmesan/Pecorino)

A simple version of the recipe needs nothing more than tomatoes , a garlic clove and basil. But if you're in the mood to indulge in some veggies feel free to add some mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, baby corn and broccoli! There are no hard and fast rules in my world. I cook as my heart desires...as should everyone with a food pulse:)

So this is how I made my Spaghetti Pomodoro :

For the Pasta:

I cooked the spaghetti in a pot of boiling, salted water until it was al dente. I also added some thyme, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil to the water so that the pasta would smell fragrant while not sticking to each other.

And now for the sauce:

I heated 1 big tbspoon of extra virgin Olive oil in a pan.
Over a low flame, first sweat the onions and then add the garlic.Inhale and savor the whiff of garlic in olive oil...heaven!
Once the onions are nice and golden add the mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, baby corn and broccoli if you feel like it. It sure is healthy and also gives a nice crunch to the dish.Cook this for another 3-5 minute
Add some finely chopped tomatoes, Tomato puree ( I usually use Ragu or the tomato pasta paste) and fresh tomato puree to take the synthetic edge off the Puree bought from de store..Yes, I know that its a lot of tomatoes we're discussing. But remember, its zingy flavor and texture truly makes the pasta come alive.
Cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes…
And then add some salt, black pepper, lots of red chili flakes( I like it hot!) , chopped parlesy and thyme. Nothing beats the aroma that is released when pureed tomatoes meet thyme and finely chopped parsley.* slurrpp*
Now, if you like a creamy consistency I would suggest you add some organic unsweetened whipping cream. I used very, very little though..cause it gets too sinfully rich otherwise.
Bung in some chopped parsley or dried parsely (which ever you have)
Finally mix the pasta in..and finish by drizzling a teaspoon of olive oil over the pasta…
I also got some nice grated Parmesan and sprinkled it as my garnish!