Lemon Pepper Pappardelle: Pasta Perfection Part 3

My favorite restaurant here in La Jolla is Piatti.  I've celebrated many of my life's milestones there: we held our rehearsal dinner for our wedding at Piatti, and I've celebrated several birthdays and our first wedding anniversary there as well.  The restaurant has a charming candle lit patio where you dine al fresco under a huge ficus tree (very romantic).  But what really keeps me coming back time and time again is a heavenly pasta dish that they make called Pappardelle Fantasia.  This delectable pasta consists of a saffron pappardelle in a white wine, garlic, and tomato sauce served with shrimp.  I love this pasta so much that if I could eat it every day, I would.

When I was living in Salt Lake City for five years, this pasta was one of the things that I missed most about San Diego.  I wrote to Bon Appetit's RSVP column (a feature in the magazine where readers write in with stories about their favorite restaurant meals and the magazine asks the chefs to share the recipe) several times, pleading my sob story about how my favorite dish was now three states away and how I desperately wanted the recipe so I could recreate it at home, all to no avail.

I'll never know if my story was not intriguing enough to stand out amongst the hundreds of submissions to the column or if the chef simply refused to share the recipe.  Whatever the case, in the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it forced me to be creative in the kitchen and try to recreate the dish on my own.  I admit that I never quite mastered the exact nuances of the restaurant's dish, but now that I'm back in San Diego, I can go to Piatti whenever I please.  And on the nights when I'd rather eat pasta on the couch in my p.j.s (which is more often than not) , I can whip up this pasta which comes in as a close second to the Fantasia.

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle

1 8 oz package of lemon pepper papparedelle (if you can't find flavored pappardelle, use regular noodles)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
fresh basil and parmesan (as a garnish)
(for a non-vegetarian version, you could top this pasta with chicken or shrimp)

Bring salted water to a boil in large pan and cook lemon pepper pappardelle until al dente according to package directions (Trader Joe's sells a great one, pictured here):

While pasta is cooking, melt 2 Tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat.  Once butter has melted, add minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes:

Add diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, white wine and pasta cooking water and simmer until mixture reduces by about half:

Add pasta and remaining 1 Tbsp of butter to tomato mixture.  Cook until butter melts and toss noodles to coat:

Plate and granish with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan:

Pasta Al Pomodoro: Pasta Perfection Part 2

I promised that I'd be sharing lots of pasta recipes with you all in the coming posts, and I do not aim to disappoint!

The second pasta recipe that I'd like to share is a variation on the cover recipe from the Bon Appetit Italy issue that I mentioned to you in my last post:

Usually when I think of making pasta al pomodoro, I don't think of adding onions - just a very simple sauce consisting of tomato, basil, and garlic.  After trying this recipe, I have to say that the onions do add a nice depth of flavor to this simple, light, and delicious sauce.

Pasta Al Pomodoro

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 28 oz can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 4 oz package of fresh basil
1 lb. of spaghetti
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.  Add onion:

Cook for approximately 12 minutes (or until onions start to soften and are coated with olive oil):

Add garlic and cook for 4 minutes, stirring.  Add red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium and add tomato sauce:

Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and add basil sprigs (whole).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add spaghetti and cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente (according to package cooking directions).  Drain pasta but reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Remove basil from sauce and discard.  Heat sauce over high heat.  Stir in pasta water and bring to a boil.  Add spaghetti:

Cook until pasta is al dente (approximately 2 minutes).  Remove pan from heat and add butter and cheese:

Stir until cheese and butter melt.  Serve warm and top with more cheese (can you really ever have too much cheese?).

Cacio e Pepe = Pasta Perfection

Sorry I have been such a lame blogger as of late.  After my last post, I spent several weeks traveling (both for work and for fun) and once I got back, I was super behind and had a ton of things to catch up on, both at work and at home.

Now that things are finally settling down (and I am strapped for cash from my latest travel extravaganza), I am finally getting back into cooking - which is good news for both my wallet and my blog! 

My latest cooking inspiration has been coming from one of the recent issues of Bon Appetit, which had the following promise on the cover:

Um, yes please!  (You can expect to see lots of pastas coming your way in the next few posts people.)

According to this issue of the magazine, the real secret to restaurant-worthy pasta is all about combining the sauce and the pasta together in a single pan and letting them meld together.

For my first attempt at this technique, I attempted a traditional cucina povera (or "peasant cuisine") style dish - in a nutshell, this is basically a dish that requires very few ingredients but is still rich in flavor.  I chose Cacio e Pepe, which is literally translated to "cheese and pepper", and it is honestly just about that simple.  But don't let the simplicity of the recipe or the cucina povera nature of the dish fool you into thinking this is just some ho hum dish - you'll find it hard to believe just how rich and flavorful cheese and freshly cracked pepper can be!

Cacio e Pepe

1 lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated pecorino romano

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook spaghetti until 2 minutes shy of "al dente" (according to package cooking instructions).  Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in large frying pan over medium heat: 

Add pepper and cook until toasted (approximately one minute): 

Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to pan and simmer until reduced by about half: 

Add pasta, remaining Tbsp of butter:

and both cheeses: 

Reduce heat to low and toss with tongs (or, if you are brave and not afraid of possibly having to scrub down your range after, by doing those fancy pan flips you always see celebrity chefs doing) until the cheese is melted and the pasta is coated with sauce.  (If the sauce seems too dry, add more pasta water):

Spoon into bowls and serve.

Bon appetite!