Raid-the-Pantry Pasta with Tomato Sauce

Nothing in the refrigerator? If you’ve got a package of pasta and a can of tomato paste, you’ve got a satisfying dinner, almost no knifework needed. We bloom pantry staples—fennel seeds, coriander and pepper flakes—in olive oil to draw out their flavor and aromas, then use starchy pasta-cooking water to dilute tomato paste into a full-bodied sauce that will cling to the pasta. The herbaceousness of dry vermouth is especially nice with the spices, but dry white wine is good, too.