Spaghetti with Tomato Plum Sauce

I have been making spaghetti with tomato sauce all the time but it is always differ from one another as I like experimenting with different kinds of tomato produce that is out there in the market. From fresh tomatoes to the pureed one and the canned souped one. I can never feel satisfied with the outcome as it was never the same compared to the restaurants one when we go out to eat.

Watching some of my favourite cooking shows on the Travel and Living and AFC channels, I noticed that when they make the tomato sauces for spaghetti these chefs uses plum tomatoes. I wondered why... So, I ventured out to get my hands on these plum tomatoes. Since I couldn't get them fresh, I opt for the canned version...Whole plum tomatoes in tomato juice.

Verdict: I must say using plum tomatoes are way better than any others. They make the sauce taste whole and awesome. Never again I am using any other....

Since I made this, I might as well share.... :) the recipe :))

Ingredients:
Spaghetti
1 can of plum tomatoes (I used whole ones)
Minced beef
1 clove of garlic, diced
2 onions, diced
10 Button mushrooms, sliced ( I like a lot of them)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Oregano
Basil
Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
2. Heat up the pan and add in the onions and garlic, cook until transparent.
3. Next, add in the minced beef - cook till done.
4. Once cooked add in the canned plum tomatoes. You can mash the tomatoes. I left mine looking roughly mashed as I love them looking like homemade :). Leave it for 5-7 minutes till it thickens up.
5. Add in the oregano, salt and pepper.
6. Depending how you like, one can serve the spaghetti and sauce separately or add the spaghetti into the sauce.
7. Garnish the spaghetti with basil, Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Ready to be served.

Aglio Olio - Basil, Bell Peppers and Beef Bacon

Aglio olio is basically pasta with olive oil and garlic. The magic of this pasta is that it can be transformed to any kind of pasta that you want it to be.... you can add mushrooms, veggies, shrimp and more according to your likes!

Mine I added some chili flakes, I like it with a bit of tang since I am Asian. I threw in a couple of things too - basil, bell peppers and beef bacon to give it some body.

Aglio Olio with Basil, Bell Peppers and Beef Bacon

Ingredients

A fist of  spaghetti

1/4 Cup of Olive oil

2 Cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (if you like more add in more)

Chili flakes

1 Bell pepper, sliced thinly

Beef bacon

Basil

Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instruction but not to over cook it. Just about half cooked.

2. Heat a pan and cook the beef bacon till crisp with the olive oil.

3.Next add in the sliced garlic and chili flakes, cook till the garlic slice looks transparent.

4. Once the spaghetti is ready, drain and keep some of the water that the pasta was boiling in.

5. Add in the pasta into the pan full ingredients and add in the water bit by bit.

6. Then add in the bell peppers and season the pasta with salt and pepper.

7. Serve the pasta and garnish it with basil and Parmesan cheese.

Note: 

- Make sure you don't burn the garlic when cooking or you have a bitter taste pasta.

- Adding in the pasta water will help the binding of the pasta with the oil. It will look soupy but trust me it is ok once it's done

- I added in the bell peppers last because I wanted the crunchiness to be retained .