Cappellini with a Spicy Tomato Sauce

 Oh, and for a simple10 minute sauce, it packs a lot of flavour . . . with the addition of garlic and chilli flakes . . . and cream.   Delicious.   Quick.   Easy.   You can’t ask for much more than that!

freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat.  While you are waiting for it to boil, heat the oil in a large deep saute pan.  Add the garlic, pepper flakes and some salt.  Cook, stirring, just until the garlic becomes very fragrant.   Tip in the tomatoes and their juices.  Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer until fairly thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes.   Stir in the cream and heat through.  Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Keep warm.  Add your cappellini to the boiling water, stirring to separae the strands,  Cook according to the package directions.   Drain well, reserving about a cup of the cooking water.   Toss the drained pasta in the hot sauce, along with some of the cooking water and the parsley to combine.  Top with some cheese and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.

Note - if you are watching the calories, you can use an equivalent amount of undiluted low fat evaporated milk in place of the cream. You can also cut the amount of olive oil in half with no problem.

I am one of those people who always has to have garlic bread with my pasta.  I am not sure why that is, only that it is.  I like to make my own. The ready made ones you buy in the shops just taste really foul to me.  Yes, I AM a garlic bread snob.

1 large french loaf or sourdough loaf

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Have ready an oven tray and two very large sheets of aluminiun foil.

Cream together the butter, garlic, 1/2 of the cheese and all the herbs, salt and pepper.  Cut your loaf of bread with a serrated knife in half horizontally through the middle.  Spread half of the butter mixture onto each half loaf.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Using the same knife make cuts two inches apart down through each half loaf about 3/4of the way down, leaving it attached at the bottom.

Cover with the aluminium foil, leaving a gap at the top so that the cheese mixture doesn’t touch the foil.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, open up the foil and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Note – You can use dry herbs if you wish, just use roughly half of the amounts listed for each.

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The English Kitchen
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