Last year, I let all my magazine subscriptions lapse; at some point I was subscribed to over fifteen publications and they arrived every month at a frequency I could barely keep up with.
The only magazine that still comes monthly is Bon Appétit or Bon App, as it’s called around here.
It’s a generous gift from years ago that gets renewed every year automatically.
I’d been debating for a while whether to let that go too, but that was before the May issue, when the magazine was revamped and got a new editor-in-chief.

The cover recipe that month was pasta al pomodoro, and in that issue was an article on how to cook the perfect pasta.
I’m a huge fan of pasta and tomato sauce, so we tried the Bon App recipe for dinner one wet Saturday in May.
We made the ‘perfect pasta’ and the silkiest tomato sauce to go with it…
The cheese and cubes of butter listed in the recipe were omitted, we tossed in some chickpeas, a little sundried-tomatoes and finished off the dish with a side of roasted vegetables.
I didn’t have any basil so I used parsley, but I’ll use basil next time.

Pasta al Pomodoro from Bon Appétit
INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
• Kosher salt
• 3 large fresh basil sprigs
• 12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
• 2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes.
3. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more.
4. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot.
7. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender.
8. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
9. Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil.
10. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes.
11. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts.
12. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.