Naughty or Nice? Tomato Basil Cream Sauce or Pomodoro Sauce?

With tomato season in full gear, I recently set out to make a simple Pomodoro Sauce, but took it a step further when I realized I had some heavy cream in the fridge. So, the choice is yours...keep it nice, fresh and simple with the Pomodoro Sauce or a step further for something more sinful, Tomato Basil Cream Sauce.

1 cup good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 tomatoes (or about 3 pounds), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
Pinch each of dried oregano, thyme, parsley, crushed red pepper
Bunch of fresh basil, finely torn/cut
(If making cream sauce) 1/2 cup of heavy cream, pinch of nutmeg and grated parmesan cheese to taste


POMODORO SAUCE
In a large sauce pan, start oil and garlic warming on low heat so that the garlic can slowly infuse the oil with flavor, without crisping up the garlic. After about 20  minutes, add chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper and pinches of herbs, and increase heat to medium so the pot eventually comes to a slow simmer. Leave uncovered (to allow steam to escape), simmering for one hour so the sauce reduces quite a bit. Reduce heat if necessary to maintain slow simmer and stir occasionally. Add lots of torn basil when ready to serve, over the pasta of your choice.



TOMATO BASIL CREAM SAUCE
To make this a richer, naughtier dish, simply add cream, nutmeg and grated parmesan cheese to pan while over low heat for a couple minutes. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.

ENJOY!

P.S. When making pasta, I cannot stress enough how important it is to follow three basic rules:
1. Cook the pasta very al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than called for.
2. Reserve some of the pasta water just before straining.
3. Combine the al dente pasta and prepared sauce over medium-low heat for a couple minutes to allow the pasta time to finish cooking in the moisture of the sauce, and so the sauce can be 'sucked up' into the pasta. Add a little of the pasta water to help the sauce and pasta bind together...or a little more to help stretch a small amount of sauce. The starchy water is also helpful in thinning a sauce that got too thick, like an alfredo.

Sorry I have no pictures because we gobbled it all up instantly.