A Beginners Cookbook Spaghetti With Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
This is our favorite summer pasta because it takes advantage of the full flavor of homegrown tomatoes. My wife learned it years ago when she lived in Italy, and the amount of olive oil may seem excessive to American tastes. We love it when the green extra virgin olive oil coats your lips.There is nothing to substitute for true love and homegrown tomatoes. This can lead one into some simple gardening: tomatoes and basil are easy to grow – even in containers. A word about spaghetti brands – they are NOT all the same or even edible. We prefer De Cecco® brand. You may have to experiment where you live to find a brand that produces the taste you want. In particular, we look for a pasta that tastes of the semolina wheat (from which it is made), cooks up with little frothing (produced by the starch on the wheat), and produces an “al dente” result (the cooked pasta is firm, not mushy). To some extent, the firmness is controlled by how long you cook it (the less time, the firmer the pasta) but poor grade pastas are mushy no matter how you cook them.Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes & Basil
Ingredients [Serves 4]
Large, ripe tomatoes: 3 to 4 — If you use store bought, the recipe doesn’t have nearly the zing that you get with home grown.
Garlic: 2 cloves
Scallions (aka Spring Onions): 3 to 4
Fresh basil leaves: 1 cup
Salt: to taste
Pepper: to taste
Spaghetti: 1 pound
Parmesan Cheese: ½ cup — You can buy a somewhat lower grade of cheese for grating than you would for eating as a course itself but the better the cheese, the better the dish.
Olive Oil: ½ to ¾ cup — Get the best you can afford. Experiment to find your favorite.
Tools Needed
6 quart cooking pot — Larger is OK, just use less water.
Chef Knife
8″ Grater — Get one that you can use without skining your fingers
Serrated/slotted spoon
2 quart mixing bowl
A large bowl
1 pint mixing bowl
A small bowl
Colander — This is a metal or plastic bowl with holes and used for draining the pasta
Assembly & Cooking Steps
Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil — Do steps 2-5 while this is happening
Grate the parmesan cheese — This needs to be done just before cooking so it is fresh. Don’t bother with pregrated cheese. This is good activity to put a friend doing.
Wash and finely chop the scallions including the green stems and set aside — The mixture of onion and stems adds color to the final pasta.
Loosely chop or tear the basil leaves and set aside — It’s easier to chop the basil but the bruising of the leaves by the knife makes them turn black. If you have the time and inclination, tearing the leaves preserves color and flavor.
Peel the garlic, finely chop and set aside
Dip whole tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds — Use a serrated spoon in the pasta pot to lift out the tomatoes. Don’t cook the tomatoes.
Peel the tomatoes, cut each tomato into small pieces and set aside — The tomato skin should easily pull off. Pieces are smaller than for a salad; larger than diced.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions
Mix tomatoes, basil and ¼ cup of olive oil in a 2-quart bowl, add a hand full of grated parmesan cheese.
Put garlic and scallions in a small bowl, cover with ¼ cup of olive oil, and microwave for 30 seconds — This takes the bitter bite and aftertaste out of the garlic and the onions.
Add the garlic and scallions to the large bowl of tomatoes and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the contents of the pasta pot into the colander, drain and return to pasta pot with ¼ cup of olive oil. Stir the pasta to coat each strand with oil.
Pour the spaghetti into the bowl with the other ingredients and serve immediately. Put the remainder of the parmesan cheese on the table for people to garnish their pasta if they wish.
