1. 1

   Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it until it tastes like the sea — about 1 tablespoon per 4 litres.

2. 2

   Step 2: Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a wide pan over low heat and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook gently for 3 minutes until the garlic is pale gold and smells sweet.

   Infuse garlic: 03:00

   Low and slow here; browned garlic turns bitter.

3. 3

   Step 3: Crush the tomatoes by hand directly into the pan, then rinse the tin with a splash of water and add that too.

4. 4

   Step 4: Simmer the sauce briskly for 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until it darkens and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

   Simmer sauce: 12:00

5. 5

   Step 5: Cook the spaghetti 1 minute less than the packet says. Reserve a mugful of the starchy cooking water before draining.

   Cook pasta: 08:00

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the drained pasta to the sauce with the butter and a splash of the reserved water, and toss hard for 1 minute until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand.

   Marry pasta and sauce: 01:00

7. 7

   Step 7: Off the heat, stir through the basil and half the parmesan. Serve with the rest of the parmesan at the table.

Artwork: Original illustration for Happy Little Kitchen. This recipe is original to Happy Little Kitchen and has been written and cooked by hand — it has not been tested in a professional test kitchen.