BocelliOnline

[Marianne]

Spinach:

Using either fresh or frozen spinach, cook and then drain all water.
While spinach is draining, cook thinly sliced garlic in butter (slowly - abt 5 min) until translucent. Add spinach and parmeggiano. Do not salt until tasted as the cheese is salty.

Broccoli Pasta:

Cut fresh broccoli into very small pieces and cook in your pasta pot with a drainer and salted water. When broccoli is done, remove with the strainer, BUT save the water as you cook the pasta in the broccoli water. When the pasta is done, drain, and in same pot cook sliced garlic slowly in olive oil and combine garlic oil, broccoli, and pasta. Serve with parmeggiano.

Quick Red Tomatoe Sauce:

Total cooking time, the time it takes to cook your pasta - therefore, start your water once the garlic is simmering!

For 1 pound of pasta:

1/2 stick of butter (a little more is even better) (Recently I read that James Beard 'just discovered' that adding butter to his red tomatoe sauce made the difference. I do not know what kind of an Italian he learned to cook from.)
1/3 C 100% virgin olive oil (never any other kind but the dark green nutty flavord version for any Italian receipes)
At least 10 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

Cook garlic in the butter-olive oil slowly until translucent.
Add chopped Roma tomatoes (1 lrg can of good quality) or about 10 fresh (you can leave the skins on)
Lots and I mean lots of basil leaves
1/4 tsp of salt (maybe more for frsh tomatoes)
Simmer for the time it takes to cook the pasta.
I prefer penne or spahetti for this dish
Serve with parmeggiano, but it is not a must.
To make it 'arrrabiata' you can add red pepper flakes, but this is not a true arrabiata.
I will post a 'great and true arrabiata' later as well as mussel soup with a touch of cream - a receipe I got from an Italian restaurant in Portofino.

[Lorna]

I am now truly hooked on Marianne's basic tomato sauce recipe which I made today .......has the thumbs up from the 'Graham' household :P

Thanks Marianne :wink:
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Andrea is Life, the rest is mere detail

[Marianne]

Lorna,

You are welcome. I call it soul food.

Marianne

[Lorna]

I meant to mention that Marianne when I read it in your email!!

Definitely SOUL food!

Must just add that that we ate this out in the garden with a bottle of Chianti (Beer for Dad) and I must admit that it felt GOOD!
Roll on my Tuscany evenings :wink:

P.S. Our weather has been fantastic over the last few days.....
_________________
Andrea is Life, the rest is mere detail