This post is blatantly redoing what Jenni did over at Pastry Methods and Techniques a couple of weeks ago. But it was such a good tip that I wanted to share it here for anyone who’s not already subscribed to her blog. (And if you’re not, go do it.)
This is how Italian restaurants — and Italian grandmothers — finish their pasta dishes. It’s not just a scoop of gravy plopped down over the noodles, it sticks to them. Do this and you won’t have that little red puddle left after you’re done eating.
Ingredients
1 pound dry pasta (I’m using cheese tortellini here)
1 quart homemade pasta sauce
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream and/or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pasta water
1 cup grated hard cheese, like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
Directions
Go check Jenni’s site for the explanation of how you’re doing an emulsion. Or just keep reading for the instructions.
While you’re cooking the pasta, heat the sauce in a large skillet. Something big enough to hold all the sauce and all the pasta with room to spare. Just before the pasta is done cooking, scoop out a half-cup of the water it is cooking in. Add it to the sauce.
Add the cream and/or olive oil. (You could do butter, too. Any liquid fat will work.)
Strain the pasta but don’t rinse it and add it to the sauce.
Stir. The color of the pasta will change. You might think to yourself, “Hey, that’s the color it usually is at the restaurant. So that’s what’s different.”
Add the grated cheese.
Stir again.
Serve with more grated cheese on top.
And that’s it.
Don’t thank me. Thank Jenni.
Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.
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11 Comments
Hi, Drew! Just resurfacing for a minute in between unpacking. Thanks for the link–I’m glad you’re helping to spread the Gospel of Pasta Finishing. Looking forward to getting the kitchen together today so I can make pasta whenever I feel like it:)
I’ve been doing it all wrong all these years! I guess it’s never too late to teach an ‘old dog’ new tricks. Thanks!
Jenni, so the move is done and you’re starting to unpack? Glad to hear it.
Linda, not wrong, just different. Putting the sauce and pasta in a blender and pureeing it so it doesn’t separate, that would be wrong. You … haven’t been pureeing it in a blender have you?
Never in a blender!
Hmmmm, in a blender, huh? Like a spaghetti shake? Heh.
That’s the best way to finish pasta. I saw… someone on TV (I don’t remember who) do it a couple years ago and have been doing it ever since. I think it’s much better than just pouring the sauce over the cooked pasta.
I’ve seen them toss the pasta in with the sauce, but I never saw the cream/oil and pasta water bit. I couldn’t believe how much difference that little bit did.
I learned this from the Sopranos. At least Ralphie did something good.
I don’t have HBO. I suspect for the rest of my life I’m going to be missing cultural references.
I like pasta… the pasta… not the sauce so much. I always mix a little sauce with the pasta as it comes out of the pot to keep it from sticking and serve the remainder for individual application. So, to get the cream or oil into the mix… do I add it to the pasta with a little sauce, or do I add it to the sauce on the side? Can you tell I’m not Italian? lol
Ooops! The Ski Bum’s blog did not post! That is from B.Cool — Sorry!
Barb, I always toss the pasta with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking until I get the sauce on it. Well, I used to always do that. I can’t think of a way to dress pasta that would be hurt by a little olive oil.
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[...] The Huffington Post had a great little slideshow about culinary pros’ favorite tools and tricks. I’m totally with them on #4 — the huge roll of plastic wrap; # 7 — the microplane; and #10 — adding pasta water to the sauce. [...]