Spaghetti with Basic Tomato Sauce
The simplicity of the sauce is what makes this recipe precious. Once you try it, it will make you wish you can speak Italian. “Dolce far niente”!
10 plum tomatoes
1 red bell pepper – cut in 4 pieces, seeds taken out
4 medium garlic cloves, not peeled
2 shallots – halved
1 cup vegetable broth
3/4 lbs spaghetti
Preheat the oven to 250F.
Toss the ingredients above with ½ tablespoon salt, 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil, and pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Coat the tomatoes in the mixture well. Line a piece of baking paper on the oven rack, and roast the tomatoes, bell pepper slices and garlic for an hour.
When done, transfer the tomatoes to a pot to cool enough to handle, and then peel off the skin. Do the same to the bell pepper slices and garlic cloves.
Grate the tomatoes with stainless steel box grater. Use the largest grain.
With a Speed Immersion Mixer blend the roasted peppers and garlic to a paste.
Heat ½ tbs olive oil in medium saucepan over low heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent for 2-3 min, and then add the grated tomatoes. Cook for 10 min then add the roasted peppers – garlic paste and the vegetable broth. Cook for another 15 min, then lower the heat to simmer and cook it for another 2 hours, while occasionally stirring the mixture, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Bring a pot of 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook the Spaghetti until al dente, look at the package instructions. Drain well using a colander and transfer the pasta to the pan with the tomato sauce. Stir gently to mix well. Transfer the pasta to a pasta bowl, garnish with basil and serve.
Find more great recipes at MAZA Cooking Journals available on the iTunes Store.
