Linguine Fine with San Marzano Marinara

Pasta. One of god's innumerable gifts to mankind. A delicacy served far and wide. An ingredient so simple a caveman could make it, or a Geico gecko for that matter. What sets apart a plate of pasta from a plate of pasta is the ingredients.

Now I don't consider myself an Italian or anything like that, nor have I ever even met an Italian, but I do modestly consider myself knowledgeable on the subject after tasting the difference. One thing that I will be honest about is the fact that I HATE eating at Italian restaurants. I'm a cheap person, most people who know me know that, but I'm cheap because I have standards! Going to an "Italian" restaurant and paying 10 dollars for a plate of pasta that cost them 10 cents to make and tastes as good as a jar of Prego isn't exactly my cup of tea. There are hardly any real Italian restaurants that exist. It's disappointing that you can find ten wrongly made spaghetti carbonaras and no Osso Bucco, simple cocio e pepe, even the most basic risotto is hard to find.

That's why I've decided to make this post, it's ridiculous how freaking delicious a simple marinara sauce can be with good tomatoes. Next time you go and buy that premade sauce, do yourself a favor. Look for a can like this.

These, my friends, are San Marzano tomatoes. Straight from the source. No tomatoes you buy in the grocery store, nor no Food City/Kroger/anything else brand will taste anything like it. And the best part is a giant can is only 3 dollars! These tomatoes are perfect for anything that requires a tomato sauce and the best part is that you don't have to add ANYTHING (well maybe a little bit, but you'll see). These tomatoes are perfectly sweet and taste like heaven straight out of the can.

Now for this recipe I am not lying, it's this easy and simple. The key to Italian cooking is using fewer amount of ingredients for a much higher quality meal.
Here are the ingredients:

• One 28 oz can of San Marzano Tomatoes. (pureed, whole, anything is fine)
• Two cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt n pepper
• 1lb Package of Linguine Fine (any pasta is fine, but these looked kinda cool)
• Fresh Basil (dry is fine if you can't find fresh, but fresh is literally sinful in deliciousness)
• Olive oil
• Parmesan/parmigiano reggiano/pecorino romano

Open your can of tomatoes and if they're whole, mash them up. If they're pureed then leave em in the can. Mince two cloves of garlic and cook them in the oil until they release their aromas. Pour in the tomatoes and let cook at a light simmer, med low heat. Start cooking your pasta with a liberal amount of salt and then walk away. Ok don't really walk away, stir your sauce a bit and taste it, but all you need to add to it is basil to taste and salt and pepper to taste. That's it. Let it cook down until it's slightly thick, at least until it's not too watery anymore. Once your noodles are done, drain them except for a couple tblsp of pasta water and throw them in the pan with the sauce. Coat the noodles and let a little bit of the pasta water stay in the pan. This is because there is starch in the water and it helps thicken the sauce to coat the noodles better. Toss them around and serve with cheese on top. A 28oz can should be enough for a 1 lb package of noodles.

C'est magnifique. C'est glorieux. C'est delicieux. C'EST LE CIEL!!