Pomodoro Pasta (Pasta al Pomodoro)

Steps

1. Rinse the tomatoes, cut them in half crosswise, and rub each half, cut side down, against the large holes of a box grater set in a big bowl. The pulp and seeds go through and the skin stays flat in your palm: discard it. You should end up with about 900 g of pulp.
2. Peel the garlic and slice it thin. Pick the basil: keep the stems for the sauce, the large leaves for the final toss, and the small top leaves for garnish.
3. Pour 4 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large cold skillet, add the garlic, and set it over medium-low heat. Let it sizzle gently for 3 to 4 minutes: the garlic should barely turn golden at the edges, never brown, or it will make the whole sauce bitter.
4. Pour in the tomato pulp all at once (it will spatter), then add the fine salt and the basil stems. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then. The sauce is ready when a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that slowly closes and small orange beads of oil appear on the surface.
5. Meanwhile, bring 4 liters of water to a boil in a large pot, add the coarse salt, and drop in the rigatoni. Cook them 2 minutes less than the package says: cut one in half and you should still see a thin white dot in the center.
6. Before draining, scoop out 300 ml of pasta water into a mug. Fish the basil stems out of the sauce, taste, and adjust the salt.
7. Drain the rigatoni and tip them straight into the skillet with 150 ml of the pasta water. Toss for 2 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly: the sauce reduces, the starch thickens it, and it turns glossy and coating. If it sticks or looks dry, add a splash more pasta water.
8. Off the heat, add the cold butter in cubes, 40 g of the Parmesan, and the large basil leaves torn by hand. Stir hard for 30 seconds: the butter and cheese melt into the sauce without going stringy, as long as the pan is off the burner.
9. Serve right away in warm bowls. Finish with a drizzle of the remaining raw olive oil, the rest of the Parmesan, and the small basil leaves.