Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente, which means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of bite and firmness to it.,
STEP 2
On a large chopping board, chop the tomatoes. Bash the olives and tear out the stones, then add the olives to the pile of tomatoes.,
STEP 3
Pick the basil leaves, reserving the smaller ones for later and throw the rest onto the pile.,
STEP 4
Peel, chop and add the garlic to the pile, then run your knife back and forth through all of the ingredients, chopping and mixing as you go, until you get a rough-looking salsa.,
STEP 5
Add a good couple of lugs of oil, the vinegar and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and keep chopping and mixing until well combined.,
STEP 6
Scoop out and reserve a cupful of the pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti in a colander.,
STEP 7
Pop the spaghetti in a large bowl, scrape in the salsa dressing, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water, if needed, to make a lovely loose sauce.,
STEP 8
Sprinkle over the reserved baby basil leaves and add a grating of hard Italian cheese before serving.