Pasta with Three Types of Tomatoes

I believe the key to a delicious tomato paste with three types of tomatoes lies in choosing the right pasta. Whether you use imported or domestic pasta, carefully study the packaging: it should indicate that the product is made from hard wheat varieties, or it may simply state that it is class A. The choice of pasta shapes is enormous, choose according to your taste. I often cook Farfalle (at home, we call them butterflies): their shape is beautiful and convenient.

In addition to the pasta itself, we will need tomatoes of three varieties, as I have already mentioned. It's difficult to find good fresh tomatoes in supermarkets, in my opinion, the best ones grow in your own garden, but since I don't have one, I try to buy fresh vegetables at the market, from grandmothers. And furthermore, I think that cherry tomatoes would not be entirely appropriate in this sauce because they have too little natural acidity. Canned tomatoes in their own juice, as well as sun-dried tomatoes, can be either store-bought or homemade. This time, I took a store-bought can of tomatoes in their own juice, but I had dried tomatoes in a dried form.

Immediately put a large pot of water on the stove, and when it boils (don't forget to salt the water to taste), add the pasta and cook until done. Although I always cook pasta for a slightly shorter time than indicated by the manufacturer, as I prefer al dente. While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the sauce. Fry the garlic in heated vegetable oil. In order for the garlic to release its full aroma, it should be used whole, slightly crushed with a knife. Once the oil becomes infused with the garlic aroma, remove the cloves from the pan, they have already fulfilled their purpose. However, if you like to feel pieces of garlic in the sauce, you can simply cut it into pieces and fry it in vegetable oil. In the latter case, you don't need to throw them away from the pan. Slightly crush the canned tomatoes, turning them into tomato puree, and pour them into the pan. After a few minutes of simmering the sauce over low heat, add salt, freshly ground pepper, and a little sugar to taste. After about 7-10 minutes, add slices of fresh tomatoes to the tomato-garlic puree (if you don't like large pieces in the sauce, finely chop the tomatoes or use a blender at the final stage of sauce cooking). And finally, add the dried tomatoes to the sauce. If they were in oil, simply take them out of the jar and add them to the sauce. And if, like me this time, you're using dried sun-dried tomatoes, you must first soak them in cold water. The amount of each type of tomato used should vary depending on your taste. Undoubtedly, with more sun-dried tomatoes, the sauce will be spicy and slightly hot. If you add more fresh tomatoes, they will give more freshness and acidity to the sauce. The sauce will be ready in about 15-17 minutes, just in time for the pasta to boil; don't forget to drain it in a colander and rinse it (although nowadays it is not always recommended to rinse pasta, as its quality has undergone significant changes).

Serve the dish hot: place the pasta on a heated plate and generously pour tomato sauce over it. The uniqueness of the sauce lies in the fact that each type of tomato needs to be distinctly felt, so I never homogenize this unique sauce. I hope you will enjoy this simple version of a delicious dish - pasta with three types of tomatoes.