Whole Foods Friday : Pasta Edition

After my foray into pasta earlier this week it occurred to me that I had never really had fresh pasta. I thought making fresh pasta myself may be a bit ambitious for a Friday night, so I picked up some fresh pasta from Whole Foods. I did, however decide that pasta sauce was something I could make from scratch.
I do not care for meat in my sauce and since Fridays are supposed to be 'easy' I decided on a recipe that was mostly tomatoes and fresh herbs. I substituted canned tomatoes because none of the tomatoes at Whole Foods looked very good. April is not the time for beautiful tomatoes I suppose. I was very pleased to find that something as simple as fresh basil and garlic made this sauce taste so much better then canned sauce. It was so simple to make and I will absolutely do it again.

Please excuse the lighting and poor presentation. A light was out in my kitchen and this is fast and easy Whole Foods Friday.



This is the recipe I followed, with the exception of using canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones.

INGREDIENTS:

8 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1 large onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In large saucepan, cook tomatoes and basil over medium-low heat until tomatoes are soft.
2.	Meanwhile, in medium skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.
3.	Add onion mixture to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours or until thick.

Easy Spaghetti

So, one might think I had learned my lesson about recipes that seem easy. But I found a recipe for a yummy sounding pasta I thought I would try. I'm actually not much for pasta. I like it once in a while, but it's not my favorite. This recipe sounded simple and delicious.

It was really good and so easy to put together. I have been trying to build up a repertoire of things that I can throw together easily even when I don't have much time. This seems to be the key for cooking during the week.

Ingredients

7 ounces of spaghetti
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions

The measurements in this recipe can be shifted depending on your taste preferences.

1. Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package, until it is al dente.
2. Strain spaghetti and place in a large serving dish.
3. Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.