• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 900g fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped or
• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 600g spaghetti
• 25g butter
• Grated Parmesan cheese to serve

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan; add the onion and garlic and fry gently for about 5 minutes to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and most of the basil, reserving a little for garnishing. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves and season to taste.
3. Meanwhile using a pasta insert in a large pan of boiling water, cook the pasta for about 10 minutes for dried pasta or 3-4 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain and return the spaghetti to the pan and toss with butter.
4. Divide the spaghetti between four warmed serving dishes. Pour over the tomato sauce and top with the remaining chopped basil and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

Serves 4