15-minute spaghetti by Pavel Berky

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt it (about 1 tablespoon of salt per 3 liters of water) and let it simmer gently while you prepare the sauce base.
• 2
  Peel the onion and cut it into thin half-rings. Finely chop the garlic.
• 3
  Heat olive oil with butter in a deep pan. Add the onion, lightly salt it, and sauté over medium heat until golden. Towards the end, add the garlic and sauté briefly, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn it.
• 4
  Add pasta to the pot with boiling water and cook al dente. For fresh spaghetti, this takes about 3–5 minutes; for dried, 2–3 minutes less than stated on the package. It's best to taste continuously.
• 5
  Add whole cherry tomatoes to the pan. Stirring occasionally, let them soften for a few minutes until they are tender and slightly burst, but not completely disintegrated. Then remove the pan from the heat.
• 6
  Transfer the cooked pasta directly from the water to the pan with tomatoes. Pour in about 150 ml of pasta cooking water and add mascarpone. Using kitchen tongs or a wooden spoon, mix the pasta well so that the mascarpone melts and, together with the water and tomato juice, creates a smooth, creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water.
• 7
  Serve immediately, sprinkled with finely shaved Parmesan, garnished with fresh basil, and seasoned with freshly ground pepper.