Gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil. We
need them to be soft, and translucent, not brown. This should take about 15 minutes.
Whilst this is going on, put a large pan of salted water on the stove and bring it to
boiling point for the pasta.Chop the tomatoes
in half, and when the onion has softened, add half the tomatoes to the pan. Save the other
half for later. Add a splash of water and leave to cook on a low heat. We want the
tomatoes to break down to make a sauce. If it looks too thick halfway through, add another
splash of water.
Put the pasta in the pan of boiling water, bring
back to the boil, and cook according to the directions on the packet.
About 2 minutes before the pasta is ready, season
the sauce with salt and black pepper, add the Balsamic Vinegar and the reserved tomatoes.
Leave to warm the tomatoes through. We need them to stay whole, so don't stir the sauce
too much.
Drain the pasta and mix well with the sauce. Tear up
the basil leaves and sprinkle on top. Serve.
NOTES
Pasta can sometimes
stick together in the pan after you have cooked it. The trick is to combine it with the
sauce as soon as possible. Also, don't drain it too vigorously.
Balsamic Vinegar
varies wildly in quality. The very best is produced in Modena and is labelled Tradizionale
Di Modena. Only about 8000 Litres of the stuff is produced annually, clearly not enough to
go around, and it is VERY Expensive.
We use a mid price brand. Be guided by the price. The cheap stuff may be ordinary vinegar
with burnt sugar in it, and we don't want that. |
