How to make the Perfect Pasta
My friends at CookKosher just posted my special tips on How to Cook the Perfect Pasta, including when you need to reheat it for Shabbat!
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Cheese and Pepper Pasta
July 25, 2011 · by · Leave a Comment
Pasta Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper) is the perfect example of a minimal dish that packs maximum flavor. The only tricks are using really good ingredients (the cheese and the butter), and cooking the pasta perfectly al dente. Pair it with an arugola salad and you won’t miss your Mac ‘n Cheese!
Ingredients
- a package of Italian pasta (tagliolini, linguine, bucatini, or thick spaghetti)
- coarse salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 tablespoon freshly grated black pepper (or to taste)
- 2/3 cup freshly grated Italian Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
Directions
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper and cook for one minute.
Add half of the reserved pasta water to the skillet, bring to a simmer and add the pasta and the rest of the butter.
Remove the skillet from the heat; add both the Parmigiano and the Pecorino cheeses, tossing well and adding more pasta water if the pasta is too dry.
http://dinnerinvenice.com/2011/07/25/cheese-and-pepper-pasta-dairy/
Tagliolini in Lemon Sauce
June 23, 2011 · by · 2 Comments
Italian Jews have always been very fond of lemons, and incorporate their juice and zest into many recipes: just like those with vinegar, these dishes are described as “all’agro” (sour style).
In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, they were apparently heavy lemonade drinkers – in most regions it was sweetened with honey or sugar, but in Rome it was seasoned with salt.*
Ingredients
- 1 pound tagliolini, fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti
- extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 cup to 2/3 cups) OR melted butter
- grated Parmigiano (1/2 cup to 2/3 cups)
- 2 large organic, untreated lemons
- grated zest of one of these lemons, avoiding the white part
- Salt to taste
- White pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons of freshly chopped mint leaves
Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring every couple of minutes, until "al dente".
In the meantime, mix together the olive oil (or butter),lemon juice, lemon zest and cheese in a large bowl, previously warmed.
Drain the pasta, but save 3/4 cup of its cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce and the reserved cooking water. Add the water a little at a time, only as needed 1/4 cup at a time as needed. Add salt and pepper, and the chopped mint leaves or chives.
*For more on this topic, A. Toaff, Mangiare alla Giudia, Bologna 2000, Societa' Editrice Il Mulino, p.109 (also available in Hebrew)
http://dinnerinvenice.com/2011/06/23/tagliolini-in-lemon-sauce/Bigoli in Salsa
June 12, 2011 · by · Leave a Comment
Bigoli are a kind of thick, hand-made whole-wheat spaghetti typical of Venice, my hometown. This delicious white sauce with onions and anchovies has Jewish roots, but has become popular across the religious spectrum. This recipe can also be made using regular whole-wheat spaghetti.
Ingredients
- (serves 6):
- . 1 pound package whole-wheat spaghetti (I like De Cecco or Barilla)
- - 5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- - 2 large white onions, minced thin
- - a 3-ounce can of oil-packed anchovy fillets (even better, 10 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed), minced
- - half a cup of dry white wine, like a Pinot Grigio or Riesling
- - salt, pepper
- - toasted bread crumbs, if desired.
Directions
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta 'al dente'.
Meanwhile, in a saute' pan, heat the olive oil over a medium flame.
Add the minced onions and a couple of tablespoons of water and lower the flame.
Let the onions cook, stirring, till translucent, adding little water if they start to dry out.
In the meantime, you will have minced the anchovies; once the onions are translucent add the anchovies and wineto the onions and keep cooking on low heat, stirring, until they 'melt' completely into the sauce.
Add black pepper to taste, and use this sauce to dress your spaghetti.
Some like to add grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (in a dairy meal), or toasted bread-crumbs and parsley; but the classic Venetian way to eat this pasta is without any additions.
http://dinnerinvenice.com/2011/06/12/bigoli/Traditional Pasta Sauce
May 15, 2011 · by · Leave a Comment
A quick and traditional pasta sauce used for Shabbat in many communities in Northern Italy is the juice
left over from roasting lean cuts of meat.
Use high-quality Italian olive oil, a couple of garlic cloves (whole), rosemary, salt and pepper.
Serve some of this sauce with the roast meat, but use what’s left to dress egg noodles (tagliolini or fettuccine).
A cold version of this pasta is the Agresto, or Bagna Brusca, in which lemon juice and egg are added to the meat juices after the pasta has been allowed to cool off. In this case, serve at room temperature.
