Fisherman’s pasta (marinara translated) from Naples–equally tasty for landlubbers.
Simple fare for summer supper.
Best done with ripe tomatoes–in our case catching the last of a disappointing season–and slices of new garlic.
for 4
16oz/400gms wholewheat spaghettini–(we prefer this unrefined version now.)
1.5lb/750gms fresh ripe tomatoes–peeled and chopped small
4 garlic cloves–peeled and sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
3 large basil leaves or more–snipped into pieces
salt
parmesan for grating
Heat the oil in a medium pan.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute–it should start to soften.
An earlier version with a chili added–last night I left it out
Add the tomatoes, the salt and over a highish heat bring to a strong simmer.
Cook for about three minutes stirring often to further break up the tomatoes.
Snip some basil over the finished dish, turn it in and add a swirl of olive oil.
Serve with a piece of parmesan and a grater to hand.
One of the great tastes of summer for me–the juices from ripe tomatoes melding with good olive oil; so a soup spoon for scooping them up comes in handy too.
Robin Ellis 
In addition to a soup spoon, a bit of warm,
fresh home-made whole-wheat sourdough bread would soak up those lovely tomato-y juices!
Hi Robin well my garlic was disappointing but I have a glut of tomatoes and having made lots of sauce for freezing am so looking forward to another way of using them thanks Debbie x
And the spaghettini . . . I’m boiling it to al dente in salted water and putting the finished tomatoes on top?
Dear Robin,
I’ve become a fan of your recipes, having tried at least half of them (from the almost daily on line collection). They are all uniformly wonderful. I hope to try this one – Penne Marinara – tomorrow. Sorry you’ve had a bad year for tomatos. Ours were sensational this year – many dozens from three tomato plants – this year planted in full sun. I have finally had a chance to justify my claim, “If I have 40 tomatoes from my garden on the kitchen counter, I’ll find a way for hubby, Bill and me to eat 40 tomatoes. Not a problem! But, I have more than enough to try this Penne Marinara tomorrow.
Thanks. I discovered who you are by your superb performance as POLDARK. Now, I am seeing you as a gifted chef. A man of many talents indeed. I’ll be ready for a rerun of POLDARK soon again. It’s my favorte series, if I discount my all time favorite, The Pallisers. The BBC has incredible series running over here in California most of the time.
All the very best! And do keep those recipes coming.
Warm regards from Los Gatos, California,
Lea Frey. (Retired public school teacher of French and German)
Bonjour et merci, Lea! I am experiencing tomato envy. California sun is an advantage. You might bottle some for winter…
Thank you for helping me decide what to do for lunch! I have plenty of home-grown tomatoes, basil and garlic and spaghetti in the cupboard. I am always trying to think of different ways to use my tomatoes at this time of year. Hope it is warmer where you are, Robin. Summer disappeared here overnight – it is more like October now. My tomato plants are still producing but I brought them into the conservatory about 3 weeks ago!
Definitely Autumn here.
Hi Robin,
Thank you for yet another great recipe. My poor brother-in-law has just been diagnosed with diabetes and is currently spending more time at the hospital, GP surgery and pharmacy at the moment while they sort out his medication. He was feeling a tad low thinking that it was all too much and he would never eat nice food again…….your recipe and my culinary skills came along and he loved the marinara…..so thank you.
Michelle
Thanks Michelle–and hello and courage to your brother-in-law! It’s a shock at first but it is NOT the end of tasty meals.
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