Maccaroni in Italian Fashion

Ingredients

• 0 unspecified quantity Maccaroni (Use a standard dried macaroni or tubular pasta. The original gives no quantity; use enough to serve 4 as a luncheon portion, roughly 300–400 g.)
• 1 clove Garlic clove (Used only to rub the inside of the saucepan before cooking; it is not added to the dish itself.)
• 0 as needed Cold water (Used in two ways: to boil the macaroni, and a splash added the moment the pasta becomes tender to stop the cooking immediately.)
• 1 tablespoon Preserved butter (The original specifies preserved butter (the Denmark brand is mentioned). Use a good-quality salted or cultured butter as a modern equivalent.)
• 1 breakfast cupful (approx. 200–240 ml) Fresh tomato pulp (A breakfast cup is roughly 200–240 ml. Use ripe fresh tomatoes blended or pressed through a sieve to make a smooth pulp.)
• 0 a little Salt (Season to taste; add in small amounts.)
• 0 a little Pepper (Season to taste; add in small amounts.)
• 1 heaped tablespoon Grated Parmesan or mild thoroughly powdered dry cheese (The original offers a choice between bottled grated Parmesan or any mild, thoroughly powdered dry cheese. Use finely grated Parmesan or a dry, mild hard cheese grated to a fine powder.)

Instructions

1. 1Take a large saucepan and cut the garlic clove in half. Firmly rub the cut side all over the inside base and walls of the saucepan. This leaves a faint garlic flavour in the pan without adding garlic pieces to the dish. Discard the garlic clove after rubbing.
2. 2Fill the garlic-rubbed saucepan with cold water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is fully tender and cooked through — not just al dente, but genuinely soft in the Italian home-cooking style. Watch the pot carefully from this point on.
3. 3The moment the macaroni becomes tender, immediately pour a generous splash of cold water into the saucepan. This quickly drops the temperature and stops the cooking, preventing the pasta from becoming waterlogged and sodden. Do not delay — act the instant it is done.
4. 4Drain the macaroni carefully, exactly as you would drain boiled rice — gently tipping it into a colander or fine strainer and letting all the water run off without pressing or squashing the pasta. Shake gently to remove excess water.
5. 5Return the drained macaroni to the same saucepan (which will still be hot). Do not rinse the saucepan. Leave the macaroni sitting in the residual heat of the pan while you prepare to finish the dish.
6. 6Place the saucepan back over low to medium heat. Add the tablespoon of preserved butter directly to the macaroni. Using a wooden spoon, stir and work the butter through the pasta continuously, ensuring it melts evenly and coats the macaroni. Keep the heat gentle so the butter does not burn.
7. 7While continuing to stir the macaroni over the heat, gradually add the breakfast cupful of fresh tomato pulp in small amounts — a little at a time — stirring it in between each addition. As you do this, also add a little salt and pepper. Finally, sprinkle in the heaped tablespoon of grated Parmesan or powdered dry cheese, continuing to stir so everything is evenly combined and hot throughout. Adding everything gradually prevents the pasta from becoming too wet or the cheese from clumping.
8. 8Transfer the macaroni to a warm serving dish or directly onto plates without delay. The dish must be served steaming hot — do not let it sit or it will lose its texture and temperature. Serve immediately as a luncheon dish.