Bon Appétit's Perfect Pasta

I love Italian food. If I had to pick a single cuisine to eat every day for the rest of my life- Italian would be it. I recently have subscribed to Bon Appétit Magazine and their Italy issue was the first to arrive last month. It was packed with fantastic recipes from pasta to pizza to delicious desserts- unlike most magazines, this one will earn a permanent place on my bookshelf.

My favorite article was not one focused on different recipes, but rather one teaching you basic tips to make the perfect pasta- regardless of your ingredients. To test out these tips I made one of their accompanying recipes- Pasta Al Pomodoro.

To start, onions, garlic and red pepper flakes are sauteed in olive oil until tender. Canned, whole tomatoes are then pureed, added to the pan and allowed to simmer for 20 minutes- satisfying rule #2: build the foundation- give your ingredients at least 20 minutes of cooking time. After simmering, the pan is removed from the heat and fresh basil is mixed in and allowed to steep in the hot sauce.

In the mean time, heavily salted water (rule #3) is brought to a boil and the pasta (spaghetti or bucatini) is cooked a few minutes from being al dente. Before draining the pasta, a cup of the cooking liquid is reserved (rule #4) to add back to the sauce. The basil is removed, the pasta water is added and the mixture is brought to a simmer before adding the almost cooked pasta back to the pan (rule #1). The pasta gets tossed with a pair of tongs (rule #5) until it's thoroughly coated and it's cooked until the pasta is al denta (rule #6).

Now, butter and freshly grated cheese are added to the pasta to add additional flavor and a great sheen (rule #7 & #8) before being carefully presented in a pasta bowl (rule #9).

This pasta was excellent! The taste was so authentic and it was very easy to prepare- using the rules along with a provided recipe helped when coming up with my own pasta dish. This leads me to rule #10- practice makes perfect. You could always practice using the other three pasta recipes provided at the end of the article- cacio  e pepe, spaghetti vongole, or pasta with gold tomoatoes- but I decided to try my hand at my own recipe.

I shall call it Pasta con Broccolini e Pomodori. Sorry, my pasta names are less than creative. I wanted a dish with bright, fresh flavors that could be served at room temperature. Broccolini and tomatoes are a great combination and lemon juice really brightens up the dish- perfect for outdoor dining.

I started by sauteeing a shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil for a few minutes before adding the broccolini. After the broccolini had cooked a little I added some sliced cherry tomatoes and cooked everything until the broccolini was tender and the tomatoes had softened.

While the saute pan was going, I cooked some bucatini (like fat spaghetti with a hole down the center) and reserved some of the pasta water. Just as in the previous recipe, I added pasta water and the pasta back to the pan and sauteed it until it was al dente and coated in the pan sauce. Then, in addition to  butter and grated cheese, I squeezed the juice of one lemon over top. I might have broken rule #9 for this recipe- it didn't go into a lovely pasta bowl but rather a to go container. This was the perfect dish to take to Utica Square to listen to some music and share some food and wine with friends!

What pasta masterpiece will you create with these tips to making a perfect pasta?

Pasta con Broccolini e Pomodori
12 oz bucatini or spaghetti
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c olive oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 bunch broccolini
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
2 tbs butter
1 lemon

•  Heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the shallot and garlic and saute 3 min. Add in pepper flakes and saute 1 min more. Add broccolini to pan and increase the heat to medium. Cook about 5 min then add tomatoes, continuing to cook until broccolini is tender and tomatoes have softened. Remove from the heat.
• In the mean time, bring water to a boil and heavily salt. Cook pasta 2 min from al dente according to packge and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Drain pasta.
• Add cooking liquid to saute pan and bring to boil. Add pasta and toss with tongs until coated. Cook until pasta al dente- a few minutes. Remove from heat and melt in butter and cheese. Squirt juice from one lemon over pasta and toss. For additional lemon flavor, add zest from 1/2-1 lemon. Serve and enjoy!

Pasta al Pomodoro
By Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
• Kosher salt
• 3 large fresh basil sprigs
• 12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
• 2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino

Preparation

• Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
• Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.