Spaghetti Marinara

There's nothing better than the intoxicating smell of tomato sauce simmering away on the stove in grandma's kitchen.

I remember being a little girl in the middle of August, and helping mom blanch the tomatoes and pass them through the machine that separates the skins and seeds, resulting in a smooth sauce that we would then can to last us through the winter.

Today I still try to get back to the basics, way past the machinery and special utensils, to a time when your hands and maybe a sharp knife was all you needed.

For a rich and fragrant marinara sauce you must start with San Marzano tomatoes, good quality extra virgin olive oil and a few sprigs of fragrant fresh basil.

Marinara Sauce

2 x 28 oz cans whole San MArzano tomatoes in tomato puree

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion -minced

3 garlic cloves -minced

2 bay leaves

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

black pepper -freshly cracked

10 basil leaves thinly sliced or torn

1. Using your hands crush the tomatoes in a bowl and discard and skins that you might find.

2. In a large cast iron pot heat up the olive oil and saute the onion with a pinch of sea salt until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the crushed tomatoes with the puree and the bay leaves to the pot.

3. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook on low flame for 1 hour until the sauce has thickened and the tomatoes have concentrated their flavors. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season with the sea salt and black pepper, remove from heat and stir in the basil.

4. Meanwhile cook your spaghetti according to the instructions on the package making sure to salt the pasta water very well.

Toss the spaghetti with the marinara sauce and serve with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano .