Milánói makaróni

Ingredients

• 14⅛ ozmacaronicook al dente in salted water; spaghetti or small pasta squares also work
• 7 ozcooked hamdiced or cut into strips
• 8¾ ozMushroomsdrained, sliced
• 1Onionfinely diced or grated
• 2 clovesGarlicgrated or finely chopped
• 2 cupsTomato passatabase of the sauce; tomato juice or peeled canned tomatoes also used
• 2 tbsptomato pastefor colour and depth
• 5¼ ozCheesefor sprinkling, semi-hard cheese such as Trappista
• 2 tbspOilfor frying, sunflower or olive oil
• 1 tspbasildried or fresh
• 1 tspOreganodried or fresh
• 1 tspMarjoramin addition to basil and oregano (optional)
• 4 tbspketchupsweetens the sauce, partly replaces the tomato paste (optional)
• Sugartakes the edge off the tomato acidity (optional)
• Saltfor the sauce and the pasta water
• pepperfreshly ground

Method

1. Finely dice or grate the onion and cook it in the hot oil over medium heat until glassy. Add the grated or finely chopped garlic and let it go for just a moment — it shouldn't take on any colour.
2. Add the drained, sliced mushrooms to the pan and fry them until all the liquid they release has evaporated.
3. Add the ham, diced or cut into strips, and let it brown lightly. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and with marjoram if you like.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and let it toast briefly, then pour in the passata. Tomato juice loosened with a little water, or peeled canned tomatoes, will do the same job.
5. Simmer the sauce uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Taste at the end — a pinch of sugar takes the edge off the tomato acidity, and ketchup in the amount given in the ingredient list makes it sweeter.
6. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water until al dente and drain.
7. Toss the pasta with the sauce, or spoon the sauce over the pasta. Scatter over plenty of grated cheese and either flash it under the grill or cover the pan and let it melt, then serve straight away.

Tips and variations

Leave out the mushrooms and you have the plain version: just ham in tomato sauce, stirred straight through the pasta. Chicken breast ham can stand in for the cooked ham, or you can go heartier with minced meat, leek, carrot, parsley root and bell pepper, with chicken liver added right at the end and the whole thing braised for around 40 minutes. Besides basil and oregano, the sauce takes marjoram, rosemary, thyme, celery leaf and parsley happily. For the quick, thrifty version, add ketchup to the tomato sauce and simply melt the cheese over the pasta in the microwave. Serve it straight from the pan into deep plates, while the cheese still pulls into strands.