There are nights when nothing but spaghetti with tomato sauce will do. It's perfect food - filling yet light, substantial yet without guilt. And boy, is it cheap.

There are as many different ways to make tomato sauce as there are times at which to eat it. Some cooks swear by tempering it with butter for hours, others by searing it with olive oil. Some make it with onion, others with garlic. There are those who use fresh tomatoes, although most will swear that plum tomatoes tinned in their own juice cannot be bettered.

While it takes a second to take tomatoes out of a tin, it takes a good hour to cook the tinniness out of tomatoes. There's no way around this, although a teaspoon of sugar will speed the process along. In fact, it is the onion, not the tomatoes, that takes work. Tradition demands it to be cooked down slowly to bring out its sweetness and add depth. It needs patience and attention.

Instead, turn to the wisdom of the busy grandmother from Calabria who taught me this alternative: chop your onions roughly and add them straight into the pan with the tinned tomatoes, fresh garlic, salt, a generous amount of olive oil and a teaspoon of sugar. If you are making sauce in any significant volume, you can even peel the onions and add them in quarters.

Bring just to a simmer and allow to burble, on the lowest heat, for as long as you have. The pot doesn't need any attention, although the occasional stir isn't a bad idea. When you are ready, add more olive oil - don't stint, it makes the sauce stick authentically to the pasta - some fresh basil and blend in the whizzer until nearly smooth. You can bottle extra and seal with a slick of olive oil, but sadly it won't freeze.

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