Scordomacárona –An easy spaghetti with garlic and tomato paste

   The first day we would go to our summer house, my mother always had to do a lot of cleaning, so there wasn't much time for cooking - Scordomacárona was the answer!

   This simple pasta made with tomato paste is probably the first dish I ever learned to cook, because it’s easy to prepare and very tasty at the same time. We use tomato paste a lot In Greece and a can of it is always available in every household fridge.

Santorini island makes a very special paste because they use the local heirloom ‘dry’ tomatoes which are grown in the volcanic soil of the island without ever being watered.  The plant absorbs water from the night breeze which brings moisture from the sea. Its taste is unique but the limited production makes it a bit difficult to find.

Serves 4-5

500gr spaghetti

6Tsps olive oil

4 garlic cloves

3Tsps tomato paste

1Tsp sugar (or to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti in boiling water with salt to your taste (either al dente or more).

Strain it, discard the water, and set aside.

In a deep frying pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and when hot add the garlic cloves and fry them until they get lightly browned. Then remove the garlic cloves from the pan and discard them.Remove from fire.
 In the garlic- infused oil, add the tomato paste and sugar add some water (about 50ml) and stir with a fork to incorporate it; then reheat till the water reduces (it wont take more than a minute) .

Add the strained pasta to the sauce pan mix, stirring with a wooden spatula and serve hot, topped with grated myzithra cheese.