Spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, and garlic cooked together in a little oily water, so the sauce makes itself as the water boils off. It’s the Cherry tomato and garlic pasta build of one-pan pasta.
Mechanic
Everything goes in the pan at once: a reverse sauce. Under a lid, the water steams the tomatoes until they burst, while the garlic poaches gently and can’t brown. With the lid off, the water boils down, turns starchy, and leaves the pasta, tomatoes, and garlic frying in the oil, and the starch pulls the oil and tomato juice into a loose, glossy sauce.
Ingredients
- 250 g spaghetti or linguine
- 500 g (about 3 cups) cherry tomatoes, whole
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
- Salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- A handful of basil leaves, torn
- 30 g (½ cup) Parmesan, finely grated
- Extra virgin olive oil, to finish
Method
Lay the pasta flat in a wide pan, about 33 cm (13 in). Scatter the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, and chili flakes over it, add the olive oil, and pour in salted boiling water just to cover the pasta.
Cover and boil over high heat. Cook, stirring once or twice, until most of the tomato skins split, about 5 minutes.
Uncover and keep boiling, stirring regularly so the pasta doesn’t stick, until the water is nearly gone and the pasta is 2–3 minutes from the package time. Add a splash of water if it runs dry first; ladle some out if it isn’t reducing.
Press about half the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Toss over high heat as the last of the water cooks off and the pasta fries in the oil, until the sauce turns glossy and coats the pasta but is still loose, 2–3 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the basil, half the Parmesan, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
To serve
Straight away, with the rest of the Parmesan on top.
Variations
Mushroom aglio e olio
No tomatoes; savoury and oily. Soak 15 g (½ oz) dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, then chop them roughly. Add the mushrooms with the garlic, and use the soaking liquid as part of the water, topping up as needed. Season with salt, pepper, and more chili flakes, and drizzle in olive oil as you stir so it emulsifies with the starchy water.
Win the fridge
Uses up the last of the salad tomatoes and whatever else needs eating (see Win the fridgeWin the fridgeWin the fridge is the practice of using every scrap of food before it goes to waste: the idea behind the recipes tagged with it across this cookbook.Read the full essay). Add a handful of sliced mushrooms and a few sprigs of thyme with the tomatoes. Off the heat, finish with lemon zest and a squeeze of juice along with the Parmesan.
Notes
- The garlic can’t brown while there’s water in the pan. Once the water is gone it can, so take the pan off the heat as soon as the sauce turns glossy.
- The sauce should look a little too loose in the pan; it tightens on the plate.