Italian Cuisine

Spaghetti al pomodoro (Spaghetti with tomatoes)

Category	First course (Primo piatto)
Type	Vegetarian
Difficult	Very easy
Time (minutes)	20
Ingredients	For 4 persons 500 g fresh ripe tomatoes 3 spoons of italian extra virgin olive oil half onion 1 clove of garlic 50 g fresh basil salt & pepper to taste 350 g spaghetti 20 basil leaves (to garnish) (100 g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – facultative)
Description	Wash tomatoes and plunge them into boiling water for 1 minute; then peel and chop them. Remove seeds. Cut into small slices the onion , squash garlic . Heat oil under a small flame, in a moderately deep pan, add onion & garlic and saute until onion is transparent and garlic is golden. Discard garlic. Put the pan far from fire for 2-3 minutes, add tomatoes, chopped basil, salt & pepper and mix the sauce with a wood spoon. Cook for about 20 minutes over moderate heat. While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water, add salt (10 g for 1 liter of water)and wait untile it's boiling. Add spaghetti. Drain spaghetti after 7-8 minutes of boiling, mix them with the sauce. If you like, now you can add Parmigiano Reggianocheese. Garnish each plate with some of the basil leaves. Serve at once.
Additional Note	Pasta recipes are the basis of italian diet. This is a typical italian receipe, really simple and easy to prepare. Remember not to cook spaghetti for more than 7-8 minutes, they must remain "al dente". If you like, you can add, at the end, some extra virgin olive oil to give more aroma.