Finding comfort in simple, elegant pasta dinners
Pasta can be comforting whether it is in a humble or haute state-of-mind.
Toss cooked spaghetti with some olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, and garnish with Pecorino cheese for a quick and easy spaghetti aglio e olio. Or simply combine it with butter, cooked pasta water, salt, pepper and pecorino cheese for a cacio e pepe.
Pasta does not need to lose its appeal just because it is dressed down, explains Nikki Marie, blogger and author of “Simple, Elegant Pasta Dinners: 75 Dishes With Inspired Sauces” (Page Street Publishing Co.; Sept. 17, 2019; $21.99). It can be unequivocally satisfying when it is made with the most basic of ingredients.
She seeks color and interesting flavor profiles when dressing up pastas. An early autumn recipe accessorizes casarecce (a curvy pasta with a groove down the middle) with roasted red grapes and sweet Italian sausage and garnishes it with Gorgonzola. Not only is there a burst of sweet and salty elements but also the pasta is picture perfect. But dressing up a pasta does not mean that it always needs to look va-va-voom. For instance, her White Wine Linguine, which calls for an entire bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, does not look like much, she says, but the flavor is robust.
For an elegant dinner, she gussies up a rigatoni by serving it with a short rib ragu flavored with cocoa, pancetta and red wine and presents a tagliatelle for the New Year’s Eve festivities with a creamy vanilla-champagne butter sauce.
Ms. Marie showcases the versatility of pasta in her 75 recipes and why it transcends to palates well beyond the boundaries of its country of origin. “I wanted to keep the recipes easy and at the same time elevate them and offer new ways to create pasta dinners with this book,” she says.
“Simple, Elegant Pasta Dinners” reflects the same sentiment and philosophy of her blog, “Chasing the Seasons.” Based on the Italian ideology to eat seasonally, the chapters are broken down by the four seasons.
Among the recipes for autumn are ravioli with port wine and mushroom sauce; harvest lasagna with butternut squash, apple and kale; and a penne that captures the gooey goodness of French onion soup.
In the winter chapter, rigatoni is paired with pears caramelized with maple syrup, dried cranberries and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese; small pasta like lumachine or ditalini is served piping out with diced potatoes and provolone cubes; and pappardelle is brightened with winter’s lemons.
Tagliatelle with wild ramps and Aleppo pepper; asparagus and morels with creamy fettuccine; and fiddlehead pasta primavera are a few of the spring recipes.
Fruits and vegetables rule in the summer chapter. Blueberries and sweet corn are tossed with orzo, basil and thyme; a penne salad features blackberries, arugula and red onion; and rigatoni is served with rosemary-roasted eggplant and blackened cherries.
“I wanted to feature ingredients that are not typically paired with pasta,” she says. “But at the same time, I wanted the recipe to be respectful toward pasta and not make it too trendy.”
Here are some pasta wisdom she shared during the phone interview:
Mix and match: When there is a sweet element in a pasta dinner like fresh or dried fruits, add a salty bite or savory essence like cheese or sausage. Wine can also add a different element.
Going nutty: When adding nuts, first roast them in a little bit of oil. It serves two purposes — the nuts get more crunchy and the oil can be added to the pasta to lend a more nutty flavor.
Use your judgment: When making fresh pasta, the age of the flour and humidity in the kitchen will affect the dough. So if the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, it is OK to add a little water. Also, when adding puree to the dough, you might need a little more flour.
Trusted kitchen aid: Firstly, you need a large deep pot that will hold enough water to cook the pasta. A large skillet, preferably one with deep sides, is a must to finish cooking the pasta in the final stages. The other essentials are a colander and a large measuring cup for the reserved pasta water.
Pasta water is key: Do not overlook the importance of pasta water; it is liquid gold.
Keep the water in reserve until not only after the pasta is cooked but also after it is consumed. The starch in the pasta water is an emulsifying agent and so when it is added to the sauce toward the end, it will loosen the sauce as needed and make it silky and creamy.
It comes in handy when reheating pasta as the starchy water helps to reconstitute the noodles. Also. it is much better than adding additional oil.