The Basics: How to Boil Water ...

Ok, so this more than just boiling water. It's about making spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce. My assumption is, you probably already know how to boil water and cook pasta. However, there might be someone in the crowd who doesn't understand the process, so let me break it down for you.

Here are some simple tips for boiling water and pasta
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1. This seems so, how shall I say it, simple. Right? Boiling water. Put a pot of water on the stove, turn the heat to high, and it magically boils. Well, yeah, that’s how it works for the most part. Placing a lid on the pot will bring it to a boil faster. Oh and you can look at it. Water will boil whether or not you look at it.   
2. Boiling Pasta. Now, let’s go one step further. You are boiling water to cook pasta. When the water comes to a full, rolling boil, add a hefty pinch of salt (about a tablespoon). Salt adds flavor to the pasta. That’s the whole reason to salt your pasta water.
3. Cook pasta to “al dente” or “to the tooth.” Pasta should be slightly chewy but not mushy. When all else fails, follow the instructions on the box of pasta. Better yet, undercook the pasta slightly (by 1-2 minutes) and allow it to finish cooking in the pasta sauce (Bolognese or marinara sauce). When you drain the pasta, do not rinse it. If you are cooking pasta ahead of time, toss it with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together. 
4. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water to use in the sauce, especially if the sauce seems too dry or tight. The pasta water will help the pasta and sauce bind together. 
5. Master a simple pasta recipe like the one below (photos of the process are below)

 
Pasta with Marinara Sauce
Serves 3-4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup red wine
• 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces dry pasta (use spaghetti or a curly pasta like rotini) 
• ¼ cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons (chiffonade - see photos below)
• Parmesan cheese for serving

 
Bring a pot of water to a boil. As you are waiting for the water to boil, begin making the sauce.
 
Place the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic in a cold sauté pan or skillet. Place the pan on the stove over medium heat. Doing this helps infuse the flavors of the red pepper flakes and garlic into the oil. Once the garlic begins to sizzle, add the tomato paste. Stir it around and cook for 1 minute. Add the red wine; cook for 1 minute. About half of the wine will cook off. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon of each). Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. At this point, you have a choice to leave the sauce chunky or puree it for a smoother sauce. I chose to puree half of the sauce using a hand blender (do this in a deep bowl, to prevent wearing the sauce). You can also use a regular blender or food processor. Once I pureed the sauce, I returned it back to the pan and added the basil. 
 
Once the water begins to boil, add a hefty pinch of salt to the water and add the pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions, but reduce the cooking time by 1 minute.
 
Drain the pasta, reserving a ½ cup pasta water. Add the pasta and pasta water to the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium low heat. Serve with bread and parmesan cheese.
 
Enjoy! 

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