Food from Florence

This is my attempted recreation of a few of the courses served to Nathan and I when we took our cooking class in Florence this past fall. Here is the recipe for the pasta...

Fresh Tasting Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti:

4-6 Servings

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes or 2 cups tomato pulp

1-2 cloves garlic mined

3-4 T EVOO

Fine sea salt plus 2-3 T salt

3 T chopped fresh basil or any combination of fresh herbs

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for topping pasta(optional)

1-Peel the tomatoes, if desired, with a vegetable peeler or by blanching the tomatoes in boiling water. Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze the juice and seeds into a strainer over a bowl. Chop or process the tomatoes and add to the reserved juice. Or measure 2 cups of canned tomato pulp or drained plum tomatoes.

2-Put the garlic in a large non-stick skillet and drizzle it with 1 T. extra virgin olive oil. Place over moderate heat and cook until the garlic barely begins to color.

3-Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes look cooked and most but not all liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4-For a smooth sauce blend the cooked tomatoes in a food processor with remaining evoo and return the sauce to the skillet. For a chunky sauce add the remaining oil before serving.

5-Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 2-3 B salt and the spaghetti; cook until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around 3/4 cooking time.

6-Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. Add the drained al dente pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to the skillet of tomato sauce. Cook over high heat, stirring to mix sauce and pasta, until the pasta is cooked. Add more pasta water if the sauce becomes too dry. Serve immediately.