Time: 45 minutes
Feeds: 2-3 people
Ingredients:
- 8-10 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp capers plus a dash of their brine
- 3 tbsp Kalamata olives
- 2 pinches sugar, to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- Salt, to taste
- Pasta water, to thin the sauce
- 1 tbsp butter, to finish
- 8 oz spaghetti
- Parmesan cheese, to finish
Directions: To a large saute pan, add the olive oil and cherry tomatoes. I used cherry tomatoes from our garden but, in the words of the great Ina Garten, store bought is just fine. Heat on medium until the tomatoes start to burst and decrease the heat to medium low. Once all of the tomatoes have burst add tomato paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Next, add the capers, the brine and Kalamata olives. Stir to combine.
At this point, you should taste the sauce. Generally when using fresh tomatoes, you’ll want to add a touch of sweetness. It usually doesn’t need much but it helps to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes. Add the couple pinches of sugar if you think it’s necessary followed by the red pepper flakes if using. Reduce the heat to low and simmer while cooking the noodles
Put a pot of water on the stove to boil over high heat. Once the water starts to boil, season with a good amount of salt. It’s extra important that the pasta water is seasoned appropriately for this recipe because you’ll be using the water to thin out the sauce. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. When the noodles are a couple minutes away from being done, start adding the pasta water a 1/2 cup at a time until the sauce is thinned to your preferred consistency. I ended up using about 1 cup of pasta water in total. You should also add the butter at this point too. It’s optional but really brings the sauce together and makes it glossy. When the noodles are finished, add them directly to the saute pan with the sauce, turn off the heat, and toss to combine. Let sit for a couple of minutes so the sauce melds with the noodles. Serve and top with parmesan cheese if desired.