flipSpaghetti with Tomato Sauce from the Roman Years
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce from the Roman Years
Why this dish? Grandson of Italian immigrants (the Piazzollas came from Apulia), Astor readily adopted pasta and espresso during his long years in Rome in the 1970s. Italian cuisine was both a family heritage and the daily life of his European exile.
Spaghetti coated with a long-simmered tomato sauce with garlic and basil, simple and honest, as made in Apulia where his family came from. The dish of a deeply Italian Argentine.
People take me for a pure Argentine, but the blood that runs in me comes from Apulia, near Trani. In Rome, in my apartment, I returned to pasta like returning to a childhood melody. Nothing complicated, che: garlic in good oil, tomato that simmers quietly, basil torn at the end and never cut with a knife. And espresso after, strong, standing at the counter like a true Roman. Music and sauce are the same: they need time and love, not fuss.
- •Spaghetti — a bundle (base)
- •Ripe tomatoes or canned — abundant (sauce)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- •Olive oil — generous (fat)
- •Fresh basil — a bunch (final fragrance)
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce from the Roman Years
Spaghetti coated with a long-simmered tomato sauce with garlic and basil, simple and honest, as made in Apulia where his family came from. The dish of a deeply Italian Argentine.
Why this dish? Grandson of Italian immigrants (the Piazzollas came from Apulia), Astor readily adopted pasta and espresso during his long years in Rome in the 1970s. Italian cuisine was both a family heritage and the daily life of his European exile.
People take me for a pure Argentine, but the blood that runs in me comes from Apulia, near Trani. In Rome, in my apartment, I returned to pasta like returning to a childhood melody. Nothing complicated, che: garlic in good oil, tomato that simmers quietly, basil torn at the end and never cut with a knife. And espresso after, strong, standing at the counter like a true Roman. Music and sauce are the same: they need time and love, not fuss.
Ingredients (period version)
- Spaghetti — a bundle (base)
- Ripe tomatoes or canned — abundant (sauce)
- Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- Olive oil — generous (fat)
- Fresh basil — a bunch (final fragrance)
Ingredients
- Spaghetti — 400 g (base)
- Canned peeled tomatoes (or fresh ripe) — 800 g (sauce)
- Garlic cloves — 3 (aromatic)
- Olive oil — 4 tbsp (fat)
- Fresh basil — a handful (fragrance)
- Grated Parmesan or pecorino — to taste (finish)
Method
- Sauté the garlic in olive oil over low heat until golden, without burning.
- Add crushed tomatoes, salt, and simmer uncovered for 25-30 min until thickened.
- Cook spaghetti al dente in salted water.
- Drain, toss with sauce off the heat, adding a little pasta water to bind.
- Tear basil over the top, sprinkle with grated cheese, serve immediately.
How it was made : Massive Italian immigration to Argentina (late 19th-early 20th century) made pasta a staple of the Buenos Aires table: ñoquis on the 29th, Sunday tallarines. Tomatoes, from the Americas but adopted in Italy in the 18th century, were perfectly ordinary in Piazzolla's time—no anachronism here.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a deep white bowl and finish with a drizzle of raw olive oil, Roman trattoria style, with a strong espresso on the side.
Astor Piazzolla · Charactorium
