Basic Tomato-based Pasta Sauce

After years of many abortive tomato-based pastas, I now think all variations are best when beginning with these basic parameters. Don't add strange things like onions or leeks or ginger or five-spice or anything experimental in the base sauce. Its a matter of restraint, and if one actually wishes to eat a tomato sauce then just stick to the recipe and make a goddamned tomato sauce. I'm not saying you can't have avant-garde sauce, but if you're not in the mood for avant-garde sauce, then just make normal tomato sauce!



Ingredients for a basic tomato-based pasta sauce
1 tin Ginos tomato paste (39p) / Or any kind of kind of tomato paste, about 2 tbsp
Half a box of tomatoes on vine (£1.00 per box)
3 cloves garlic
Fresh Basil
Dried Basil
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

Some years ago I had an Italian housemate who allegedly told me that the right way to start making your pasta sauce was to start by sautéing sliced garlic in very very hot olive oil, and then, followed by the other ingredients. As tomatoes themselves have the tendency to have a rounded or tart taste, the addition of some sugar actually really helps lift the taste. I prefer Tomato paste over Tomato Puree as it is much more concentrated, and in the cooking process, one can add more water.



In this iteration of this pasta we added sliced chestnut mushrooms and used a peculiar round pasta that George had bought from some fancy italian deli. I also wish we had a pasta maker so we could make pasta of any shape!! TRIANGULAR PASTA! DONUT RING PASTA! INFINITELY CONTINUOUS PASTA!