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1
Peel the tomatoes, if desired, with a vegetable peeler or by blanching the tomatoes in boiling water.
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2
Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze the juice and seeds into a strainer over a bowl.
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3
Chop or process the tomatoes and add to the reserved juice.
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4
Or measure 2 cups of canned tomato pulp or drained plum tomatoes.
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5
Put the garlic in a large nonstick skillet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
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6
Place over moderate heat and cook until the garlic barely begins to color.
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7
Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes look cooked and most but not all the liquid has evaporated.
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8
Add fine sea salt and pepper to taste.
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9
For a smooth sauce, blend the cooked tomatoes in a food processor with the remaining extra-virgin olive oil and return the sauce to the skillet.
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10
For a chunky sauce, add the remaining oil before serving.
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11
Bring 5 to 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil.
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12
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons salt and the spaghetti; cook until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three quarters of the cooking time.
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13
Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water.
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14
Add the drained al dente pasta, 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, and the basil to the skillet with the tomato sauce.
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15
Cook over high heat, stirring to mix sauce and pasta, until the pasta is cooked.
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16
Add more pasta water if the sauce becomes too dry.
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17
Serve immediately, topped with Parmigiano if desired.
