Pomodoro (Fresh Tomato Sauce)

pg. 269 Kathleen Flinn The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

I had to use up lots of garden tomatoes I had and made this delicious homemade pasta sauce - a new quick easy delicious healthy favorite...

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 T. olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
about 12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch or two of hot pepper flakes
handful of chopped parsley or basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

-Boil water for pasta.  Add at least 1 T. of salt to the water; it should taste slightly salty.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions; reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water after cooking.

-Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a sauté pan over med-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, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3-5 minutes for tomatoes on their own, longer if you add 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 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the cheese, red pepper flakes and parsley or basil (if using), several cranks of fresh black pepper and salt if needed.

optional:
splash cream at the end of cooking for a more creamy texture
handful of additional chopped vegetables such as chopped zucchini, artichokes, olives, and/or asparagus
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.)