Tomato sauce has a speed problem. The ten-minute version is sharp and thin. The two-hour version is sweet but loses something bright. The thirty-minute version, simmered on the lowest possible heat with the lid off, is where tomato tastes like tomato and still has some edge to it.
We use bucatini instead of spaghetti because the hollow tube continues to absorb sauce after the pasta leaves the pan. The dish at the table is wetter than it was when you plated it, and that is not a problem. Dress it looser than you think you need to.
No cheese. No butter. A drizzle of raw olive oil at the end and a fresh basil leaf. The Neapolitan tradition around pomodoro is restraint: the sauce should be the thing you taste, not the fat you finished it with.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Warm 45ml olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic halves (center germ removed) and cook gently for 2 minutes until soft but not colored. Crush the tomatoes by hand and add them to the pot with 4-5 basil leaves. Season with salt.
Simmer uncovered over the lowest heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the garlic. Pass the sauce through a food mill, or blend briefly, for a smooth, pulpy consistency.
Return to heat and simmer uncovered for 10 more minutes to thicken. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
Cook the bucatini in heavily salted water for 4 minutes for al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining. Drain and transfer directly to the sauce.
Toss over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, adding pasta water a splash at a time. Bucatini absorbs sauce as it sits, so dress it a little looser than you think you need to. Plate with a drizzle of raw olive oil and 1-2 fresh basil leaves. No cheese.
You made Bucatini al Pomodoro. Time to eat.
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The 30-minute simmer is the whole recipe. A 10-minute sauce is sharp and thin; a two-hour sauce loses the brightness that makes tomato taste like tomato. Thirty minutes lands at exactly the right point. Make a double batch — it holds in the fridge for 5 days and freezes perfectly.
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