Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

How to prepare spaghetti with tomato sauce

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them until you're left with just the skin in your hand.
2. In the widest pan you have (this way the sauce will reduce faster), heat 3 tablespoons of oil and add the crushed garlic and fennel seeds crushed in a mortar. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the garlic smells fragrant, but doesn't brown at all.
3. Add the tomato puree and chili and bring to a boil. Add a little salt. When the sauce boils, reduce heat to medium and add the basil sprig to the sauce.
4. Simmer the sauce until it reduces significantly, stirring occasionally. Toward the end, when the sauce is thicker, reduce heat to low and stir more frequently so it doesn't burn. This step will take about 15-20 minutes. After about 10 minutes, taste the sauce and if it tastes very acidic or sour, add the sugar.
5. When you start to see the bottom of the pan when stirring, a sign that the sauce is almost ready, remove the basil from the pan and add another 1 tablespoon of oil, the balsamic vinegar, and the butter if desired (butter will make the sauce sweeter). Simmer a few more minutes, stirring frequently now. The sauce should have almost the consistency of tomato paste, meaning it should be dense and darker in color than at the start. You will also see the oil separated from the sauce at the edges.
7. Adjust the sauce for salt at the end. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
8. Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. When almost done, heat the sauce in a wide pan and add the drained pasta (but not too well drained, leave a few tablespoons of water on it). Toss the pasta with the sauce for 1 minute. If desired, add basil leaves when mixing the pasta with the sauce.
9. Serve warm, with grated Parmesan if desired.

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