Pasta Arrabiata (Tomato Sauce)

This is one very simple dish (Once you’ve got the tomato sauce!) and pleases most palettes. There are certain variations that I will post within this recipe to adjust for multiple taste types. This goes really well with Garlic Bread by the way and makes for a fantastic and fulfilling lunch.

Here’s what you need:

Tomato Sauce for 2 (Recipe)

Penne/Fusilli/Spaghetti/Macaroni – Enough for 2 people (My way of measuring is 2 fist-fulls of the smaller variety for each)

Olive Oil – 2 Tablespoons

Minced Garlic – 2 Tablespoons

Finely Chopped Basil Leaves (Fresh) – 1/2 Tablespoon [Optional]

Oregano – 1 Tablespoon

Sugar – 1/2 Tablespoon

Salt – To taste

Pepper – 1/2 Tablespoon [Adjust for taste]

Finely Chopped Red Chilli – 1 Tablespoon [Optional if you want it to be spicy]

Grated Parmesan Cheese – 1 Tablespoon [Optional]

1. Start by filling a large vessel with filtered water. Put this on the heat on high and cook your pasta as per the manufacturers instructions. Normally, you put in the dry pasta once the water starts to boil for anywhere between 8-15 minutes.
2. While your Pasta boils, heat the Olive Oil in a wok and stir in the garlic. Cook the garlic well so you get the flavor infused into the oil really well. Cook on medium for about 2-3 minutes, or till the garlic is just about brown.
3. If you like you want your sauce to be nice and spicy, you need to stir in the Chopped Red Chillis with the same quantity of Tomato sauce and cook them a little bit first. If you can’t find fresh red chillis, you can use the dried variety by soaking them in warm water for about 5 minutes and them putting them in a blender. Once you have the red chilli paste, you combine it with the same quantity of tomato sauce in a small bowl first and then pour it into the wok.
4. Add the entire tomato sauce now and cook on high heat till the sauce comes to a boil. You need to stir continuously here. Put in the sugar to get rid of the sourness of the tomatoes. Be super-careful here – you do not want to make your sauce too sweet. Use the sugar with care is all I’ll say.
5. Put in the Oregano, Basil Leaves, Salt & Pepper into the sauce and cook uncovered on a low flame for about 10-odd minutes. You’ll need to play it by ear and stir & check the sauce ever few minutes. When the sauce is cooked, it turns into a dark red and you no longer taste the rawness of the tomatoes.
6. Drain your pasta once it is boiled and stir into the cooked sauce right before you serve. Put some Parmesan cheese on top and serve. Enjoy!