Is there anybody out there who doesn’t love pasta? Anyone? I’m pretty sure it’s a universal love story. Which is why a dish like this rigatoni pomodoro is such a fabulous weeknight pasta. It’s quick, it’s nourishing, it’s good.
This recipe is from Andreas Papadakis’ new cookbook Tipo 00 The Pasta Cookbook. Now, this guy is Greek, so Bart was immediately sceptical about the authenticity of his pasta pomodoro. There’s a weird rivalry thing between the Greeks and the Italians. I’m fairly sure a Greek wouldn’t be impressed if an Italian rolled out his spanakopita recipe either.
But, heritage aside, Andreas has the chops to lay claim to some good pasta nous. He’s the chef and co-owner at Italian eateries Tipo 00 and Osteria Ilaria in Melbourne’s CBD. These places have both got a reputation for serving amazing Italian food, so let’s just assume Andreas knows what he’s talking about.
The proof is in the pasta, so to speak. I made his rigatoni pomodoro (tomato pasta) during the week and it was delicious. I’m going to say that the olive oil count seemed excessively high, but I think that’s actually the secret to the lush mouth-feel this dish provides. And definitely don’t try to substitute penne or some other pasta (or, shudder, spaghetti) — this is a dish the fat tubes of rigatoni was made for.
One more thing, make a double or triple batch of the napoli tomato sauce and freeze it in batches. That way you’ll always have some on hand ready to whip up this superb midweek dinner pasta.
I’ll hold back on putting a tacky Italian food phrase at the end of my spiel… no, wait, I can’t: buon appetito. I embarrass myself, I really do.
Rigatoni pomodoro – weeknight pasta
From Tipo 00 The Pasta Cookbook by Andreas Papadakis
This is a quick and light dish that has become my go-to when hungover, as it’s so easily pulled together, especially if you have a batch of Napoli tomato sauce in the freezer and some dried rigatoni in the cupboard. It’s also something the kids are always happy to eat.
Makes 2
Takes 12 minutes (pasta cooking time!)
5 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 small clove of garlic, finely grated
200 ml Napoli tomato sauce (see recipe below)
225 g quality dried rigatoni
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
4–5 basil leaves
Warm the olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat, add the garlic and cook gently until the garlic has just softened but not coloured. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a slow simmer.
In the meantime, cook the rigatoni in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, according to the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta (reserving some of the pasta water) and add to the sauce, then toss everything together for 30 seconds until the pasta is well coated. Add the parmesan and basil and toss a couple more times, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce, if needed. Serve in warmed bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Napoli tomato sauce
Makes about 2 litres
Takes 30 mins
80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 x 400 g (14 oz) tins of peeled tomatoes, ideally San Marzano
basil leaves from 2–3 sprigs
sea salt
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, around 6–8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir well, then bring to a slow simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom. Taste and season with salt, then take off the heat and let the sauce rest for 15 minutes before you add the basil. We normally pass this sauce through a vegetable mill while it’s still hot. If you don’t have one, you can just use a whisk to crush the tomatoes – don’t be tempted to blitz the sauce with a blender, or you’ll lose its pleasingly rustic texture.
Images and text from Tipo 00 The Pasta Cookbook by Andreas Papadakis, photography by Mark Roper, illustrations by Robin Cowcher. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.
