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Pasta Pomodoro By Kathleen Flinn

Be sure to have the pasta cooking and all the ingredients ready before starting the sauce; this is ready more quickly than you’d expect. Flavorful fresh tomatoes make all the difference here; cherry tomatoes work especially well and they’re available year-round. Just cut them in half. Carefully scoop out a bit of the pasta water to finish the sauce.

Makes enough for about 4 side portions or 2 main-dish servings

8 ounces dried pasta, such as penne or linguine, or 12 ounces fresh pasta
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
About 12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
Handful of chopped parsley or basil
Pinch or two of hot pepper flakes
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Boil water for the pasta. Add at least 1 tablespoon of salt to the water; it should taste slightly salty. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; reserve about ½ cup of pasta water after cooking.

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute; be sure not to burn it or you’ll need to start over. Add the tomatoes and any other vegetables (see below), and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 to 5 minutes for tomatoes on their own, longer if you add in other vegetables.

Add the reserved pasta water and cook until the sauce is reduced slightly and the rest of the ingredients begin to break down, about another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cheese, red pepper flakes and fresh herbs (if using), several cranks of fresh black pepper, and salt if needed.

Consider adding the following:

- Splash of cream at the end of cooking for a more creamy texture
- Handful of additional chopped vegetables, such as zucchini, artichokes, olives and/or asparagus, to extend the sauce and offer additional flavor
- Shrimp or diced cooked chicken with the tomatoes. (Shrimp can be added raw, but be sure to cook them thoroughly; they should turn white throughout and curl up tightly.)

©Kathleen Flinn, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks, Viking/Penguin 2011. Kathleen will be at University Bookstore in Seattle on October 20 at 7 p.m. Visit www.ubookstore.com or www.kathleenflinn.com for more information.

Inspired by a supermarket encounter with a mom loading up on prepared foods, Le Cordon Bleu graduate Kathleen Flinn decided to use her culinary training to help nine cooking novices find their inner chefs. In her new book, she writes about invading their kitchens, sampling their cooking and arming them with basic cooking skills. They learn, as do her readers, how to make better food choices and to shop economically for food. Think “What Not to Wear” meets Michael Pollan.

©Copyright 2011, Caliope Publishing Company