Spicy penne for two

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil*

1 Tablespoon or so coarse salt**

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 of a 1 lb. box of penne

1 shallot finely diced (or 1/2 a small onion, I use shallot because then I don't have to worry about having half an onion rotting in the back of my fridge)

1 clove garlic, minced or finely chopped

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (or petite diced if you like a chunkier sauce)

1/2 Cup heavy cream

8-10 fresh basil leaves

Black pepper

Parmesan cheese (garnish)

Start out by putting a large pot of water on to boil.

While that is heating up, dice your shallot and garlic.

In a large saute pan, heat your olive oil over med-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper (a little goes a long way!). Let them soften for a few minutes. Try not to let them get too dark in color. If they start to brown, turn your heat down.

Meanwhile, if your water is boiling add the coarse salt and the penne. Trust me, the salt makes the noodles delicious. Stir it a little to make sure they don't stick together. Start the timer on your stove for 11 minutes, that way you won't over cook the noodles.

Once the shallots have cooked for a few minutes and have become tender, add your tomato sauce. Let this simmer while your pasta finishes cooking and you chop the basil. Stack the basil leaves and then roll them up (like a cigar) then with the basil lying horizontally on your cutting board, make several vertical slices. This will create nice little ribbons of basil.

When the timer on the noodles beeps, drain them. Leave them in the colander for a second while you stir the cream, basil and a little salt and pepper into your sauce. Turn off the heat and pour the noodles into the pan with the sauce. Stir everything together and serve. If you have it on hand, top with a little fresh parmesan cheese.

Wondering what to do with the extra basil? Chop it all then drop a little into each square of an ice cube tray. Cover each with a little water then freeze it. Once frozen, store in a ziploc bag. The next time you make this dish or anything else that calls for fresh basil, you can just pull out one or two cubes and throw them in at the end.

*If you plan on making a lot of pastas, invest in some extra virgin olive oil. It is good for you and it tastes good. I promise, it is worth it. One bottle will last a long time.

**Again, invest in a box of coarse or kosher salt. It is worth it and will last a long time.