Perfect Pomodoro Sauce With Capellini

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 to 5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, stemmed, hulled and chopped (about 5 cups), including their juices

1 teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed

1 pound dried capellini (angel-hair pasta)

½ cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, plus a few small whole leaves for optional garnish

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (may substitute nondairy butter)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic (to taste), salt and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant but not burned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If you burn the garlic, use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the oil and proceed; if you leave it in, it will ruin the sauce.) Add the tomatoes and their juices and the sugar; cook until reduced and thickened, 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes. Taste, and add more salt and/or sugar, as needed.

While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just underdone, about 1 minute before the cooking time recommended in the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to its (now empty) pot.

Check on your sauce. If you like it chunky, leave it as is. Or pulse it a few times using an immersion (stick) blender, to make it smoother. Stir in the chopped basil and butter.

Pour into the cooked capellini; use tongs to incorporate it and coat the pasta. Let the capellini finish cooking in the sauce over medium heat until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste, and add a little more salt, as needed. If the sauce has become too thick, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water at a time until you like the consistency.

Serve right away, garnished with a few basil leaves, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8

Nutrition | Per serving (based on 8): 310 calories, 8 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar

Adapted from "Fresh Italian Cooking for the New Generation," by Alexandra Caspero Lenz (Page Street Publishing, 2016).