Tomato sauce in less time than it takes to boil water

Are you the kind of person who, like me, dances around the pasta pot waiting for water the boil, munching on uncooked noodles?

Sometimes I pretend that I am going to memorize flashcards during this waiting period, but instead I end up tiptoeing over to the pot every few minutes "just to check on it."

Well tonight I learned that by being extra lazy, it is possible to make a delicious fresh tomato sauce during this awkward gap between stove-lighting and pasta-box-emptying.

Whole cherry tomato sauce (two servings):

• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, washed
• teaspoon-ish butter
• teaspoon-ish olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• dash white wine
• few sprigs parsley
• chili flakes, black pepper, salt
• parmesan
• 1/2 pound pasta

Judges, start your timers! (Turn on your pot of pasta water.)

Heat the butter and olive oil on high heat. Peel and mince the garlic and add to the pan, cooking for a minute. Dump in your cherry tomatoes. Dash your white wine over the top. Push everything around with a wooden spoon. Stab the cherry tomatoes with a fork, then smash them with your wooden spoon. Add water as needed. Cook until sauce thickens, without burning in the pan. Mince the parsley, toss in along with seasonings, and turn off the heat.

Is your water boiling yet? (Why yes, it just started to boil!)

  

Feel free to study flashcards as you wait for the pasta to cook...