A love affair with pasta

Pasta Al Pomodoro

Sophia Loren claimed she owed her curves to pasta. When I try to stake the same assertion it just doesn’t have such a great ring to it. But oh lordy how I love the stuff. If I were of religious fervor, I would most certainly build it temples, and light candles and take donations for its greatness. There is little else in this world as wondrous and as satisfying as a spectacular bowl of pasta; preferably one the size of a world globe. For this dish to move from ho-hum to epic you need to use the sort of tomatoes that are on the edge of bursting with some spectacular fresh pasta and milky, creamy mozzarella.

There is a video on Daily life here where I offer up some tips on how to make your own mozarella - its surprisingly easy and very, very satisfying in a "I could be a cheese maker if I wanted to kind of way." My sous chef Molly (aka my dog) features again. She's a natural in front of the camera.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

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2 onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted

1kg mix of regular and cherry tomatoes blanched, peeled and roughly chopped.

400g fresh fettucini

¼ cup Parmesan, shaved

3 large mozzarella balls, coarsely torn

120g Sopressa or Chorizo – finely chopped and fried

Salt and pepper to season

Fresh basil and squeeze of lemon juice to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sweat for 1-2 minutes or until translucent. Add the butter and season then add the peeled tomatoes. Cook over mild heat for about thirty minutes until reduced and thickened. Season to taste and keep warm.

Cook the pasta “al dente” in a large pot of salted water, then drain and add it to the tomato sauce. Add basil leaves torn by hand, a knob of fresh butter, and the Parmesan. Coarsely tear the mozzarella and add to the bowl. Season, stir gently to combine and serve immediately.