Simple food...

When I started cooking pasta, I used this recipe to make “pasta sauce”.

Then one day I was in a hurry and decided to “just make something up”. I substituted salt with anchovies and I left out the sugar.

Through luck and trial and error, I created a sauce “in the spirit” of the Napoletana sauce.

Oh well, I guess that’s why every Italian cooks the Napoletana sauce differently.

The point is: You’re the one cooking it and eating it, so experiment and make it to your liking.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 400g of diced tomatoes
• 700g of Tomato Passata
• 2-3 cloves garlic sliced very thinly (I normally just finely chop them)
• 2 long red chillies sliced and seeded or just use chilli flakes
• 2 tsp of white sugar
• 2 tsp of salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• extra virgin olive oil - enough to cover base of pan generously
• fresh basil
• Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions:

1. Put garlic, chillies, salt, sugar & ground pepper into a frypan with cold olive oil. Heat and fry lightly. DO NOT BROWN OR COLOUR the garlic.
2. Add chopped basil leaves - leave a couple for garnish.
3. Tip tinned tomatoes & passata into hot ingredients and stir briefly to make sure all ingredients are well mixed - the sauce will spit so cover with a spatter guard NOT A LID and let cook for approx. 5 minutes on medium heat.
4. Turn off the heat and let the sauce set - 3 hours or more so that the flavours meld
5. Grate good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano, about 1/2 cup, and add to the sauce BEFORE you reheat it to put on your pasta - stir well
6. When your pasta is ready - it should be removed from the heat just before it is al dente, drain lightly leaving a little water (very little) - make sure pasta water is salty!
7. Stir a generous ladle of sauce into the cooked and drained pasta, stir rigorously then serve into pasta bowls which are warmed. Top each bowl with more sauce garnish with ground pepper & basil leaf.