Tomato-wine-cream spaghetti

 A version of this pasta sauce that is stripped down and more practical. It's delicious and we've eaten it several times over the last week. Not a balanced meal, but we've been working hard on a fellowship application, and an easy, carb-y dinner is very welcome at such times!

Recipe (for two)

Dice

-- one large good tomato

Put through a garlic press, or mince

--- 1-3 cloves garlic (depending on size, preference, and laziness)

Boil water for pasta, and salt heavily.

To a medium pan, on medium heat, add

--- Olive oil + butter, 2-3 tablespoons total, in preferred ratio. I like half-and-half.

when butter is sizzling a bit, add the minced/pressed garlic, and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring and modulating heat so that the garlic does not color. Add diced tomatoes and raise heat. 

(Start the spaghetti cooking at this point.)

Season the tomatoes with 

--- salt + optional fish sauce 

--- sugar

My tomatoes are watery and the spaghetti I used cooks quickly.  When my pasta was done the tomatoes had thickened but were still somewhat liquid-y. If the tomatoes are drying out but the pasta is not cooked, add a splash of pasta water to the tomatoes. When the spaghetti is at "cooked-minus-a-minute", use a spaghetti claw or a pair of tongs to remove pasta from water, and add to tomatoes in pan, with the heat still on (medium or medium-high). Add 

--- white wine or rosé, a generous glug

--- heavy cream, ditto

--- sprinkle of coarse salt

and cook stirring, until the pasta absorbs much of the liquid, and starch from pasta thickens the rest, so that the sauce clings nicely to pasta. Then serve and eat hot, with optional black pepper on top.