Italian Tomato and Garlic Pasta

For this simple garlic and tomato pasta recipe, there is nothing nicer than the flavor of fresh tomatoes. You can use canned, but the trouble you take to prepare this dish is worth it. You prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking, no long hours of waiting. Great if you want meatless pasta.

Ingredients

Place tomatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring just to a boil. Pour off water, and cover again with cold water. Peel the skin off tomatoes and cut into small pieces.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan, making sure there is enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and sauté garlic until opaque but not browned. Stir in tomato paste. Immediately stir in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until pasta is ready, adding basil at the end.
Drain pasta, do not rinse in cold water. Toss with a bit of olive oil, then mix into the sauce.
Reduce heat as low as possible. Keep warm, uncovered, for about 10 minutes when it is ready to serve. Garnish generously with fresh Parmesan cheese.

There are many variations to try for this pasta. A couple of favorites are to sauté fresh quartered mushrooms with the garlic or add shoestring zucchini along with the tomato.