Here is a deceivingly simple recipe for a traditional pasta dish. Its origins come from an International House of Mojo’s “Cooking with Spaff” article—my version is a relatively heavily altered version of Dominic Armato’s original.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cavatappi pasta

• 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp salt

• 1 ¼ cup chopped carrot

• 1 ¼ cup chopped celery

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes

• 1 tbsp butter

• ½ cup cream

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Steps

1. Put the water on the boil and add 2 tbsp of salt.

2. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion into small, uniform pieces. Set aside.

3. Drain tomatoes, then tear them into small pieces. Set aside.

4. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.

5. Toss in carrot, celery, and onion. Stir occasionally until carrots start to soften—about 5 minutes.

6. Pour in tomatoes and the remaining salt. Stir, and let sit for about three minutes.

7. Pour in cream, stir, and wait for it to reach a light boil.

8. Stir in Parmesan, and reduce to a simmer.

9. Toss pasta into the pot and boil according to direction. You want to time the sauce so the cream can reduce a bit. Right about 15 minutes.

10. Drain pasta; give it a quick, light toss in the colander; throw it back in the pot; pour the veggie/cream mix over it. Stir well.

Serve with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan on top.

Tip for the carnivore: Chop up some pancetta and lightly crisp it up after step five. Then skip the salt from step six—pancetta has its own salty flavors.