Spaghetti al Pomodoro: Pronto!!

I did not think I would ever say this but I am having a backlog of recipes yet to be posted... Hats off to all my fellow bloggers who manage to blog daily! Okay back to my spaghetti...hmm...where do I begin? Well, I have already talked about the benefits of pasta in my previous post - Pastaah! with Zucchini and Eggplant.  This is again a very simple recipe - making any kind of pasta dish always is (unless you decide to make pasta from scratch which I honestly would never even dream about!). You need very basic ingredients for this recipe and the flavour base is of course tomato (pomodoro = tomato in Italian). This recipe is one of my favourites as I use store bought crushed tomatoes for the sauce which then makes this 'super easy' for moi. Fresh is always best so you can use fresh tomatoes; in fact I used to do that till I discovered the rich texture and flavour that ready made tomato bases have.  Hence, these awesome packs have become permanent residents of my kitchen pantry :D

The only difficulty I usually face while making pasta of any kind is on deciding the quantity. Raw pasta when cooked tends to almost double up but then again that seems to vary with each variety. I remember the first time I made spaghetti - I boiled the whole packet which would have made meals for a feast! Ever since then , I have experimented with the amount I have to take and I still happen to get it wrong. Here I have used one fist (bit loosely held though)  of raw spaghetti and it turned out to be just enough for the two of us. I wish I could be more precise! 

P.S.- My hubby dearest  set up an instant 'ingenious' light box for me ... so I managed to take few decent shots (I still have a lot to learn about taking photos in low light!). A very special thanks to him :) Also I have no clue what the authentic Italian recipe for this dish is; however, this is my version of making a quick dinner meal. Buon Appetito!

Spaghetti al Pomodoro: Recipe

Ingredients (serves 2):

• Spaghetti - a fistful
• Crushed tomatoes - 400 gm
• Garlic - 4 to 5 pods thinly sliced
• Red chilli flakes - 1/4 tsp (spice alert!)
• Onion - 1 small finely chopped
• Celery stick - 1 finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dried Italian herbs like thyme and rosemary - a pinch each.
• Extra virgin olive oil - as required
• Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Method:

1. Boil water and cook spaghetti as per instructions given on the pack. Make sure you add a generous amount of salt and few drops of oil while cooking spaghetti. Drain and keep aside.
2. Warm a skillet and add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Do not heat the oil. As soon as it begins to warm up, add the sliced garlic. Saute for couple of minutes. Then add the red chilli flakes. The garlic should not brown.
3. To this add the finely chopped onion and celery. Saute till the onion is translucent. 
4. Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Cook for few minutes till the sauce is reduced to a thicker consistency.
5. Add the boiled spaghetti and gently mix till every strand is coated with the sauce. Garnish with basil, drizzle with some olive oil and serve hot. Garnishing with cheese like parmesan  or mozzarella makes it yummier but I like to avoid it to keep it as healthy as possible :)

Linking this to  Comfort Food by Resh,  Cooking Concepts:Vegan Diet by Sravs, Sumee's Bon Vivant: Savory Items, Ruth's Pasta Presto Nights hosted by Alisha: Cooking with Love - Grandad by Shamana: