For Food 'n Flix this month (January), hosted by The Law Student's Cookbook, the movie was Eat. Pray. Love.
For me, this was all the excuse I needed to finally finish watching this movie in its entirety. I started to watch it when it was released here on DVD, but just when Julia Robert's character was arriving in India, company came over. I don't remember what else happened that day, but for some reason I never finished the movie.
I love a good chick flick. I'm a huge Julia Roberts fan. And this movie was directed by Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy. (I ♥ Glee!) On paper, this should have been the perfect movie for me. But the truth is, and I hope you won't hold it against me, I wasn't crazy about this movie. (I wasn't all that crazy about the book either.)
Don't get me wrong. There were parts I loved. Hello, Javier Bardem! But my favorite part was the whole Italy experience. I would love to visit Italy. Even though I'm pretty sure I'd never want to leave. I'd love to learn the language. But most of all, I would love to surround myself with all of that glorious food. Aside from Mexican food, it's one of my all-time favorite cuisines.
That's why, before I even sat down to watch the movie, I headed into the kitchen to prepare a simple, yet absolutely satisfying Spaghetti al Pomodoro. Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato. So this dish is really just spaghetti in a simple tomato sauce. But it sounds so much nicer in Italian. And I'm pretty sure it's what Julia Roberts is eating in the trailer above. (1:48)
If you like dinner and a movie, then you should join us for Food 'n Flix next month, hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. The movie is one of my favorites...My Big Fat Greek Wedding!
Spaghetti al Pomodoro
Ingredients:
- 6 to 8 oz. spaghetti (I used 200gr.)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 medium onion (optional)
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- Fresh basil
- Red Pepper flakes
Directions:
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions in a pot of boiling water. While the spaghetti is cooking, chop the tomatoes, onion and garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. (I used my Chile de Arbol Olive Oil for extra flavor.) Stir in the chopped tomatoes, onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Traditional Pomodoro sauce doesn't include onions. But I love the added flavor and texture they bring to the dish.
Reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are completely cooked. At this point, you can puree the sauce with an immersion blender OR if you're like me and you like a chunky sauce with bits of tomato, just mash the tomatoes with the back of a large serving spoon.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving a little of the cooking water in case your tomato sauce is too thick. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce. Season with salt (if needed) and red pepper flakes.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving. Enjoy!!!
*I apologize for some of the bright pictures. I'm still adjusting to working with the new light fixture in my kitchen and I was forced to use my camera's flash. I am just so happy to have electricity once again!
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