Roman Tomato Sauce with Pasta
Instructions:
- 1/ 4 cup olive oil (60 ml)
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 small or 1 medium dried peperoncino
- 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
- 3 1 /4 pounds ripe firm tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1/ 2 inch thick (1.45 kg)
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1 /4 pounds long or short pasta (500 g)
- 4 tablespoons butter, optional (60 g)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, oregano, marjoram, or basil
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or flameproof casserole over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and peperoncino and saute until the garlic is a light brown and the peperoncino dark; then discard them. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring often and adding a few tablespoons water every now and then to prevent burning, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.
- Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes, breaking up the tomatoes into pieces with a wooden spoon. Put the tomato paste in the center of the pan and mix into the tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste. With the heat still on high, cook the sauce, continuing to break up the tomatoes and stirring often, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. If it looks as if the tomatoes are beginning to scorch, reduce the heat slightly.
- Warm a large pasta serving bowl. Cut up the butter, if using, into small pieces, directly into the bowl.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta well and transfer to the serving bowl. Pour half the tomato sauce over the pasta; toss to mix. Add the rest of the sauce and toss again. Garnish with your favorite herb and serve at once with a pepper mill on the table