Thursday, April 21, 2011

Rigatoni Pomodoro

A simple bowl of pasta can be amazing. Don't get me wrong, more complicated pasta has its place, but every now and again, I get this fantastic craving for a simple bowl of pasta with tomato sauce. 



No fear, pomodoro is just a fancy way of saying tomato sauce. 

Rigatoni is one of my favorite pastas. It has a delicious bite when cooked al dente and the ridges and the tube allow just the right amount of sauce to get trapped inside. 





If you're in the mood for a quick and delicious meal, the tomato sauce recipe that I gave in an earlier post is pasta's best friend. All I added to the sauce base was some torn leaves of basil.  

Its a comforting meal to curl up with in front of the movie, or its an easy meal that will impress the hell out of a date for an impromptu night in. 



Rigatoni Pomodoro
serves: 2
total time 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
6 oz rigatoni
1/2 cup pomodoro sauce, recipe below
5 leaves basil, torn
Grated parmesan cheese, if desired

Method:
1.)  Bring 3 quarts of water to boil. Add salt and pasta. Cook pasta 2 minutes short of instructed time, about 8 minutes. 
2.)  In a saute pan over medium high heat add Pomodoro sauce. When hot add in cooked pasta. Stir or toss to combine and continue to cook for 2 minutes. If the sauce gets too tight, loosen with reserved pasta water. 
3.)  Toss in torn basil and serve immediately. Top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.




Simple Tomato Sauce
Makes: about 2 cups
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes, San Marzano prefered
½ yellow onion, peeled
4 Tbsp butter, unslated
2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Method:
1.)  In a medium, heavy bottomed pot add the tomatoes. onion half and butter. Increase heat to bring to a simmer. 
2.)  Simmer, stirring once in a while for 35 minutes and seasoning with salt as needed, until the onion is soft and the tomatoes are broken down.

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