Try this. It's good.
A friend and I once had a debate over whether "Italian" food--like that served at V&T and Olive Garden--in the United States should be considered Italian or American at heart. He argued that since the basic ingredients (pasta) and ideas (tomato sauce) were inspired by Italian cuisine, it should be the former. I disagreed--pouring tomato sauce into a pot of drained spaghetti is a distinctly American idea. In any case, if the basis of our food taxonomy is whatever culture "inspired" it, then Italian cuisine would also have to include bologna, which is about as Italian as it is wholesome.
JAF, I doubt you read this blog, but one day you will see that you're wrong. About everything. Always.
Anyway, making pasta really delicious requires a different technique than simply dumping sauce on steaming noodles. In general: While cooking pasta in salted boiling water, add either butter or olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add aromatics, and, if using, meat. Let cook. Add vegetables, salt, and pepper. When vegetables are almost cooked, add cooked pasta with a little bit of pasta water. Mix contents of pan (two goals here: spread flavors and emulsify starchy pasta water with butter/EVOO to make a sauce). Add chopped herbs. Sprinkle with cheese. Gloat.
As you can see, there's a lot of flexibility with the ingredients, but in general you always use some type of fat, salt, and pepper. Good combos:
Butter, sage, pancetta, and peas.
Butter, pecorino cheese, pepper.
Olive oil, garlic, tomato, basil.
Olive oil, shallots, and pecorino.
Olive oil, sausage, broccoli rabe, spinach.
Also: How to eat pasta
