Gardens Bounty

The girls and I love anything having to do with fresh tomatoes and basil...since our tomatoes are coming in, I have made a few things lately and tonight I made THE best spaghetti sauce! Ron would have liked some spicy meatballs to go with it, but to me, this was Pasta Nirvana!

Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil Sauce

1/2 cup plus 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 -4 cloves garlic minced
20 or so fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds dried spaghetti
1 TB butter
8 basil leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Add the olive oil and garlic to a pan and heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, taking into account that the sauce will reduce and the salt will become concentrated. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher to release all their liquid. Cook for 25 minutes over medium to medium-high heat, until the tomatoes form a semi-chunky sauce.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. When it is three-quarters cooked, drain the pasta and reserve the water. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and cook over med-high heat until all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce. Remove from the heat and just before serving, add the butter, basil and cheese, mixing thoroughly until the pasta is an orange hue. Season with salt to taste.

YUM!