Recipe courtesy of David Rosengarten
Francis Ford Coppola's Spaghetti Basilico
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 480
- Total Fat
- 7
- Saturated Fat
- 2
- Carbohydrates
- 88
- Dietary Fiber
- 4
- Sugar
- 5
- Protein
- 15
- Cholesterol
- 4
- Sodium
- 9
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 (1 pound. 12 ounce) cans imported Italian plum tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds spaghetti
Directions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan. Saute the onions in it for 5 to 10 minutes or until transparent and just starting to brown.
- Using a knife, cut the tomatoes coarsely inside their cans. Drain off the juice and reserve.
- Add the tomatoes to the saucepan, along with a dozen basil leaves, very coarsely chopped. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Let the sauce come to a boil, then lower heat, simmer for 45 minutes. It should have a medium-thick consistency; keep adding back some of the reserved tomato liquid to maintain the correct consistency.
- While the sauce is cooking, boil the spaghetti in a large amount of salted water.
- When ready to serve, add another dozen very coarsely chopped basil leaves to the sauce, and whisk in the butter. Drain the cooked spaghetti in a colander, draining all water from the pasta cooking pot, then return the spaghetti to the pot. Add about 2/3 of the sauce to it, or just enough to lightly coat the spaghetti with sauce. Stir well for one minute over medium heat. Divide spaghetti among eight bowls, placing a few small basil leaves on each spaghetti bowl. Top each with a few tablespoons of sauce. Serve immediately. Pass freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired.