Aug 11th - Angel Hair Pasta in Marinara sauce - Blissful simplicity!

BBQ Anti Pasti

Italian food can be beautiful in its simplicity.  We assume, watching the hot headed food Glitterati on TV, that delicious food needs to be complicated to be worthy of note.  Not so.  D's brother in law has worked at one of Montreal's most renown Italian restaurants for many years.  As result, has adopted the home cooking methods that made it so popular with locals and visiting notables.  This Marinara sauce is one that JL has made at home many times as the pasta course in his usual full Italian dinner.  It is gorgeous and you will wonder if I have left anything out.  I haven't.

We also BBQd some Portabella Mushrooms and other Vegetables as a small Anti Pasti plate.

JL's Marinara Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta

250 g Angel Hair Pasta - Capellini
1 14 oz (large) tin Roma Italian Tomatos (really for this use buy Italian tinned tomatoes PLEASE!)
1/4 c Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 c fresh Basil, chiffonade
1 T fresh Parsley
Salt and Pepper
1 t Chili flakes (optional)
Fresh Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Angel Hair will cook in 3-4 minutes.  Really fast. So the Pasta now just before you go to start the sauce.

Open the tin of Tomatoes and with a knife or clean kitchen scissors, chop up the Tomatos.  Don't worry about hacking through them all.  Just go in for 10 strokes or so.

In a skillet, heat 2 T of the Olive Oil on Medium heat.  Add the Garlic.  Saute until you can just smell the nuttiness but do not let over brown.  Add the Tomatoes and turn up the heat to Medium High.  Keep it moving or it will spit.  3 minutes.

Turn down the heat to low.  Add the Pasta with tongs directly into the pan.  Do not drain or shake off.  The Pasta water will thicken the sauce slightly.  Swirl around.  Add the Basil.  Add the 1 T of Olive Oil and toss.  It will help the sauce to cling to the pasta. Season to taste but after the pasta is in because of the Salt in the Water.

Serve with the Parsley and Parmesan. MMMM

Were you following?  That was less than 10 minutes and less than a dozen ingredients.

We drank a nice Palazzo della Torre Veronese 2006. A great accompaniment to the red sauce.