Kaye tries to pretend she doesn’t eat pasta. She never quite manages to maintain that deceit when there’s a pot of this on the stove. I have never met a person that hasn’t loved this dish, and it’s done and on the table within 10 minutes. Storecupboard heaven!
Ingredients
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 500 g packet of dried spaghetti
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tbsp tomato purée or sun-dried tomato paste
- grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- basil leaves (optional)
How to Make It
- Fill the largest pan you have with boiling water, then add enough salt until it tastes as salty as the sea. Cook the spaghetti for as long as it says on the packet.
- Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a large non-stick frying pan and place over a low heat. Add the garlic but keep the heat low and stir until translucent. Do not overcook the garlic or you’ll ruin the dish.
- Add the tomato purée or sun-dried tomato paste and fry, stirring the whole time, for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, and fry for another 20 seconds. Don’t worry if it looks odd.
- Take a ladleful of pasta cooking water (about 150 ml / 5 fl oz), add it to the pan and stir until well mixed. Then turn the heat off.
- Once the cooking time is up on the spaghetti, drain it and add it to the frying pan. Toss the spaghetti until it is nicely coated with the sauce.
- Ready to serve. You can, of course, add grated Parmesan cheese and basil leaves, if some are knocking about, although we don’t usually bother.