CLASSIC SPAGHETTI RECIPES

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, peel the onion, slice in half through the root and trim off the top. Place the onion, cut-side down, on a chopping board. With your knife parallel to the board, cut 3 slices through the onion, keeping the root intact. With knife point at root end, cut down through the onion, from top to bottom 4 times. Holding the root end, finely slice across the onion (see pic above), to give you small diced pieces.
• Set a large frying pan over medium heat and when hot, tip in the oil then onion. Cook for 5 mins until starting to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, cook 2 mins more until the onions start to turn golden. When the onion has softened, tip in the tomatoes and half the basil. Leave to gently bubble for 15 mins until the sauce has thickened and looks pulpy. Stir occasionally and break up any large clumps of tomato with the back of your spoon.
• Pour water ¾ of the way up your largest pan. Heat over a high heat and add plenty of salt. When water has reached a rolling boil, place the spaghetti into the pan. As it softens, use your hands to push all of it into the water. Give it a stir to separate the pasta, then cook according to pack instructions, about 10 mins. Taste a strand of pasta. It should be just soft, but not mushy. Scoop out a cup of water before draining in a colander (this will help to loosen your sauce).
• Finishing touches: Tip the drained pasta back into its cooking pan, then pour over the tomato sauce. Give everything a good stir. The sauce should just coat the pasta, if it is thick and looks dry, stir in a few spoons of the pasta water. If it is watery, cook over a low heat until evaporated, stirring often. Use your hands to break the mozzarella into chunky pieces and stir through the pasta along with the remaining basil leaves. Serve straight away.

Steps:

• 1. Pick the basil leaves onto a chopping board (reserving a few baby leaves to garnish), then roughly chop the remaining leaves and finely chop the stalks.
  2. Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic. If using fresh, cut the tomatoes in half, then roughly chop them or carefully open the tins of tomatoes.
  3. Put a saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the onion, then cook for around 7 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden.
  4. Stir in the garlic and basil stalks for a few minutes, then add the fresh or tinned tomatoes and the vinegar.
  5. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, then continue cooking for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Stir in the chopped basil leaves, then reduce to low and leave to tick away. Meanwhile…
  7. Carefully fill a large pot three-quarters of the way up with boiling water, add a tiny pinch of salt and bring back to the boil.
  8. Add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions – you want to cook your pasta until it is al dente. This translates as ‘to the tooth’ and means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of a bite and firmness to it. Use the timings on the packet instructions as a guide, but try some just before the time is up to make sure it’s perfectly cooked.
  9. Once the pasta is done, ladle out and reserve a cup of the cooking water and keep it to one side, then drain in a colander over the sink and tip the spaghetti back into the pot.
  10. Stir the spaghetti into the sauce, adding a splash of the pasta water to loosen, if needed.
  11. Serve with the reserved basil leaves sprinkled over the top and use a microplane to finely grate the Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle over.
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