Chris’s pasta recipe (text version)
1. Fill 3/4 of a large pot with water. This way, the water won’t bubble over and the pasta won’t clump and cook unevenly. Add a teaspoon of salt for taste. 2. Wait until the water comes to a rolling boil (the bubbles make the water look like it’s rolling around) and add the pasta. […]
1. Fill 3/4 of a large pot with water. This way, the water won’t bubble over and the pasta won’t clump and cook unevenly. Add a teaspoon of salt for taste.
2. Wait until the water comes to a rolling boil (the bubbles make the water look like it’s rolling around) and add the pasta. Stir to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Cook for the recommended time (usually 8-12 minutes). Correctly cooked pasta should be slightly chewy (in Italian they call this al dente).
3. Drain the pasta in a colander. For this recipe, I rinsed the pasta in cold water to remove excess starch, which comes from the pasta and can affect the consistency of the sauce.
4. Heat up your favorite marinara (tomato) sauce in a pot over medium heat until it’s barely steaming. Stir constantly so that the sauce won’t splatter or burn. Add some dried red chili peppers if you like it spicy.
5. To give the sauce a little more flavor, slice cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle lightly with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in an oven or toaster oven for 7 minutes or until the skin becomes wrinkled at 350 degrees.
6. To chop fresh basil, use this technique to keep from cutting yourself: hold the knife in a comfortable grip, keep fingers tucked in, rest the tip of your knife on the cutting board, and guide the blade with your knuckles as you slide the basil under the blade.
7. Put the pasta on a plate and cover it with sauce. Garnish with oven-roasted tomatoes, basil and grated parmesan cheese.
