Tuesday, May 25, 2010

C2I recipe: The ultimate pasta dish

My favorite C2I meal is the multicourse Italian meal. The courses are antipasto, pasta (primo), grilled meats and veggies (secondi), salad (insalata), and dessert. In such a meal, the pasta is part of a harmonized system and rarely has big globs of meat or buckets of sauce and cheese smothering the life out of it. For me, nothing is more elegant than a classic pasta bianco ("white" pasta -- referring to the absence of a heavy sauce). My favorite variation is as follows:
  • Long pasta like spaghetti or linguine. My preferred brands are DeCecco or Barilla (yes, brand matters and IMHO, these are the best). For the most part, follow package instructions. I find usually the timing on the package is short by about 1 or 2 minutes so make sure you taste. Also don't forget to salt the water.
  • Drain the pasta and put aside. Quickly return the pot to heat. Healthy glob of olive oil (1/4 cup for a full package of pasta). Into the hot oil add couple of big teaspoons of chopped chilli's (any kind will do as long as they have a good kick), and a couple of finely chopped garlic. Saute lightly.
  • Put pasta into the pot and stir to coat with the olive oil.
  • Stir in about a quarter cup of finely chopped Italian parley.
  • Serve family-style in a big pasta bowl. Don't forget a healthy amount of good quality Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the dish.
Variations include stirring in a nice green like spinach or arugula (don't over-cook -- just enough to wilt it.), or grill some sliced Portuguese chorizo sausage, or mushrooms. I would typically do these options if I'm not entertaining and wanted the pasta to be a principal dish in a regular meal. For a dinner party though, I prefer simpler and classically elegant.

Wine? Sure why not. A nice Chianti, Burgundy, or any of the fruitier New World reds will be fine.


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