100g/3.5oz calabrese salami or other salami (spicy preferred)
    300g/10oz cherry tomatoes
    48oz strained tomatoes (passata, etc)
	24oz water or stock (chicken or beef)
    2 cloves garlic
    1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/2tsp anchovy paste
    1/2 a large red onion
    5 basil leaves
	dried parsley flakes or fresh parsley
    parmesan cheese
    salt and pepper

10-15 minutes before cooking, crush the garlic and set aside. This develops a chemical called allicin within responsible for taste. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, then finely mince. Dice the salami into small cubes, entirely preferential but I like 1x1x1cm cubes.

Oil in the pan on medium heat. Bring up to heat enough that it flows around the pan effortlessly. Add the salami. Cook 3-4 minutes or until slightly firm, the goal is to impart flavor to the oil. Then add the garlic and cook until fragrant (1-2min). Then immediately add the onion and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until the red onion changes from purple and white to translucent orange. Adding the onion stops the garlic from cooking and potentially burning as the onion contains water. Red onion will taste very similar to other onions, but is a weaker flavor overall. You can use a spanish onion if you'd like but we want a strong tomato taste, not really an onion taste.

Add the whole cherry tomatoes ensuring they're touching the bottom of the pan and are not on top of other things. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften, then smoosh them against the sides of the pan. This will release the pectin inside. Cherry tomatoes contain a lot of pectin and are generally sweeter, so it both sweetens the sauce and makes it thicker with less reduction and less cooking. Season with salt and pepper and the anchovie paste, stir to combine. The anchovies will impart a strong umami presence to the sauce while not tasting fishy.

After 2-3 minutes of further cooking, add the strained tomatoes and stock or water. Since previously you cooked the cherry tomatoes, the sweetness from them will cut down the acidity of the strained tomatoes. Mix very well and bring up to medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Then taper off the heat until you can maintain a simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer until it reduces to your desired thickness, anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Then remove from heat and add the parsley.

Another pot of water seasoned with salt brought to a rolling boil. Put in your pasta of choice and cook until al dente. I like orechiette, farfalle, or just plain penne. Strain and return to the pot. Add a ladle or two full of the sauce to the pasta and combine. Take the basil leaves and stack them on top of each other and roll up very tightly, like a cigar. Slice parallel to the stem once and then make perpendicular slices until you have tiny slivers. Also grate parmesan cheese. Serve pasta in a bowl topped with the parmesan, basil, and an extra ladle of sauce.

Total time 20-30min with 10-15min prep and 7-10min cooking pasta. Makes 6-7 cups of sauce, enough to serve 10-15 bowls of pasta in my experience. Keeps in fridge for 4-5d, in freezer for 4-5mo.