Penne Al Pomodoro Food

PERFECT POMODORO SAUCE

Steps:

• Start off by mincing the onions. They must be as small as possible. Set aside in a bowl.
• Mince the garlic, then form a garlic paste.
• **Note** To form a garlic paste, mince garlic, add some sea or kosher salt and olive oil, and use the back end of a chef's knife to work the garlic into a paste.
• For the whole tomatoes, remove each tomato by hand and place into a food processor. Leave puree in the can. Pulse the tomatoes until crushed, leaving some texture. Strain through a fine mesh sieve - you'll remove about 1 cup of water. Discard the water and add crushed tomatoes back to puree in the can. Set aside.
• In a sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic for about 3-5 minutes, or until garlic begins to smell like it's roasted. It should just start to be taking on color. This step is very important and one where you have to go by the smell rather than the color of the garlic. Once you begin to smell that roasted garlic smell, the onion/garlic is ready. Stir constantly.
• Add tomato paste and stir, cooking the paste for 1 minute.
• Add wine and stir. The wine should instantly thicken, due to the tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes. It is not necessary to reduce.
• Reduce heat to medium/low.
• Add red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir and cook briefly for 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes you pureed and the crushed tomatoes. Stir, cover pot and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce can be cooked longer, but I prefer a more vibrant tomato taste. The longer you cook it, the more rich the tomato flavor will become. This is totally personal preference. After 20 minutes, my pasta water is boiling away and I start cooking the pasta.
• When your pasta is finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. I always add at least 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the sauce. It helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
• Tips on pasta - never, never, never, never add oil to the water and never rinse your cooked pasta. The pasta can be drained and added directly to the sauce, or add your drained pasta to a bowl and toss with 1 cup of your tomato sauce.
• Add basil to sauce right before serving, as basil looses it's flavor immediately from the heat. Also do a final seasoning adjustment, if necessary right before serving. I like to add a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and an extra pinch of red pepper flakes.
• I cannot stress enough the steps are important, and this generally takes me 15 minutes max to put together -- but all ingredients are personal choice. Add more or less of whatever you like.

PASTA POMODORO FOR TWO

Steps:

• Puree the tomatoes using an immersion blender or food processor. Set aside.
• In a saucepot over medium heat, combine the olive oil, pepper flakes and garlic. Gently toast the garlic until golden brown, being careful not to burn it. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer; simmer 5 to 8 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, half of both cheeses and half of the basil and cook, tossing frequently, until the pasta is nicely coated. Season with salt if necessary.
• Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the remaining cheese and basil and drizzle with olive oil.

PENNE ALLA VODKA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions.
• Saute the garlic and onions in 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until soft. Pour in the vodka, being careful if your stove has an open flame (remove the pan from the heat before adding). Cook and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour in the tomato puree. Stir the mixture until it's thoroughly combined, then reduce the heat to low. Pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine, then turn heat to the lowest simmer possible. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the drained pasta into the sauce and toss to combine. Sprinkle on the Parmesan, then sprinkle on more red pepper flakes if desired.

PENNE CON GORGONZOLA E POMODORO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat.
• Add chopped onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in chopped tomatoes and basil. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using spoon, beat butter with Gorgonzola cheese until blended.
• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Return pasta to pot.
• Whisk Gorgonzola cheese mixture into tomato sauce.
• Add sauce to pasta and stir to coat.
• Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Romano cheese and serve.

PENNE POMODORO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt. Cook the penne pasta until al dente (around 8-10 minutes).
• Put the oil, fresh and dried herbs and garlic in a skillet (frying pan) and saute the garlic until fragrant.
• Meanwhile, add the pureed tomatoes (passata) and tomato paste and stir to combine. Gently simmer the sauce until the penne pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes.
• Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain the rest and add the pasta to the sauce.
• Toss or stir the pasta to coat in the sauce, add a little splash of reserved pasta water to help emulsify the sauce. When coated add in some fresh chopped basil and stir, serve.

MICROWAVE PENNE PAPPA AL POMODORO

Steps:

• Combine the garlic, herbs, tomatoes and a pinch of salt in a microwaveable bowl. Fold the bread crusts through then add the pasta, making sure it's completely coated in the sauce so it doesn't dry out. Cover the bowl with cling film then pierce a few times in the centre. Put kitchen paper on your microwave plate to absorb any spills then place the bowl on top and cook on High for 2 mins. Carefully peel back the cling film and stir well. Add 80ml water and stir again, then replace the film and leave to stand for 1 min.
• Return the bowl to the microwave and cook on Medium for 4 mins. Remove from the microwave, peel back the film and stir well. Add a splash of water if the sauce is starting to dry out. Cook on Medium for another 4 mins. Add another splash of water if needed then stir the oil through to serve.