RECIPE | TOMATO BASIL SPAGHETTINI

This is my go to pasta - easy to make under 30 minutes. It's a tasty dish infused with the flavours of garlic, basil and tomato. I love to make it for my family and friends if they're craving a classic Italian dish. I learned the beauty of cooking pasta after watching countless videos of Gennaro Contaldo (Jamie Oliver's mentor). The most important key I drew from all his cooking videos is to save that pasta water! The natural starches from the pasta water is the glue between your pasta and the sauce. I hope you enjoy making this pasta as it is a favourite of mine. The ingredients are few and great for vegetarians.

SERVES 4 PEOPLE (2 BOWLS OF PASTA PER PERSON) | PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOK TIME 20 MINS

• 454 grams (1 Box) of Spaghettini
• 28 oz can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• 8 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 Large Bunch of Fresh Basil Leaves
• 2 pints of Sweet Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
• 6 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of Hot Pepper Flakes (Optional if you prefer not spicy)
• 1/2 cup of reserved Pasta Water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• Grated parmigiana cheese

1. Peel and finely chop your garlic cloves
2. Slice cherry/grape tomatoes into halves
3. In a pot, boil water for your pasta to Al Dente according to package instructions. The key to making this recipe delicious is having Al Dente pasta. Remember to reserve some of the pasta water.
4. Meanwhile in another large shallow pan on low - medium heat, add olive oil
5. Then add garlic. Allow garlic to "sweat" for 30 - 45 seconds here and do not brown it. Browned garlic will not taste good in your pasta. We are trying to infuse the oil with garlic.Optional: if you want a spicy pasta, add hot pepper flakes here and stir for 1 minute.
6. Increase the heat to medium high, add cherry/grape tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they're soft.
7. Add your canned tomatoes with the juice. Break apart them into bite size pieces with your cooking utensil. Allow this to cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Now pour the reserved pasta water into your sauce. Cook for 5 minutes and stir to allow the sauce to thicken.
9. Reduce heat to low, add half of the basil leaves into the sauce and cook for 1 minute.
10. Drain your pasta and pour hot pasta into your sauce. Turn off heat and stir pasta into sauce.
11. Remove pan off heat. Now stir in your remaining basil leaves. Save some as a garnish.
12. Optional: Serve pasta with some grated parmigiana cheese.